The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Monday added veteran cricketer Mohammad Hafeez to an already sizable 17-member squad for the upcoming two-Test series against Australia.

While the Aussies had picked a standard 15 players for the series that begins October 7, Pakistan had raised a few eyebrows with its squad announcement by naming two more players than their counterparts in their squad.

The Inzamamul Haq-led selection committee today inducted Hafeez into the squad today, taking the roster's strength to 18.

The decision comes as a surprise also because the 37-year-old Hafeez last played the five-day format for Pakistan in 2016, and at his age international cricketers generally tend to focus on the shorter formats.