The suspense drama surrounding the Pakistan team for next month’s tourto England ended late Saturday evening when Pakistan Cricket Board(PCB) named a 17-man squad, including former captain Wasim Akram
Samiul Hasan29-Apr-2001The suspense drama surrounding the Pakistan team for next month’s tourto England ended late Saturday evening when Pakistan Cricket Board(PCB) named a 17-man squad, including former captain Wasim Akram.The PCB caught the cricket scribes wrong footed after saying earlierin the day that the announcement would be made next week after nonconsensus on the composition of the squad was reached.The team, which was undecided until 7.30pm, was given the final shapeby the PCB chairman Lt Gen Tauqir Zia at 10.20pm who, using his vetopower, included Wasim as the 17th player.Wasim’s inclusion meant that Fazle Akbar, the Peshawar pacer who wasexpected to serve as the workhorse, missed the bus after asatisfactory performance in New Zealand last month.Also out of the 20-man provisional list announced Tuesday were openersImran Nazir and Shahid Afridi while left-handed opener Imran Farhatsneaked into the team by the skin of his teeth.Controversial pacer Shoaib Akhtar was also named in the side thoughhis fitness was still unknown. Shoaib, who has twice been reported fora suspect bowling action, was supposed to undergo a fitness test. Buthe didn’t, leaving big doubts whether he would survive the tour whichinclude four county matches, two Tests and the tri-nation one-dayseries.Shoaib hasn’t played competitive cricket since Feb 28 when he hobbledfrom the Dunedin ground during the fifth and final one-dayinternational because of a hamstring injury.Previously, Shoaib had also failed to complete the tour to the WestIndies and missed rest of 10-month cricket because of multipleinjuries.Interestingly, Australian Darrell Hair and Englishman Peter Willey whofirst reported him in November 1999 in the third Test at Perth, willbe officiating in the Lord’s Test starting May 17.A spokesman of the PCB said the team for the one-day series would beannounced later. He revealed no further details as to why there was adelay in the announcement of the team.The inclusion of Wasim Akram, even though as 17th member, confirmsthat the former captained played his cards right and made it into thesquad despite the fact that Waqar Younis was stubborn and adamant notto include him.However, it is a different issue altogether with Wasim finds a placein the playing line up in the presence of Waqar, Shoaib, MohammadSami, Abdur Razzaq, Azhar Mahmood, Saqlain Mushtaq and Mushtaq Ahmad.The demon leftarm pacer should have been an automatic choice as someof those selected are very ordinary pacers specially at Test level.The left-hander, who has 409 Test and 440 one-day wickets, has claimed53 wickets at 29 in his previous four Test tours to England. Besides,he has more than a decade experience of playing in English conditionswith Lancashire.Wasim, who will celebrate his 35th birthday on the penultimate day ofthe Old Trafford Test, his adopted county ground, has also scored2,815 runs at 22.52.While there were no other surprises, Mohammad Wasim earned theselectors nod after missing 13 months of international cricket.Wasim, who burst into international scene with a century on debut, hadplayed 18 Tests in five years which proves that the opener was notbeen allowed to establish in the Test side.Continuous reshuffling of his batting order and lack of propertechnique had combined to affect his overall performance at thehighest level.The team includes three openers, five middle-order batsmen, awicketkeeper, four fast bowlers, two allrounders and two spinners.Squad:Saeed Anwar, Imran Farhat, Mohammad Wasim (openers), Yousuf Youhana,Younis Khan, Inzamam-ul-Haq (vice-captain), Faisal Iqbal, Salim Elahi(middle-order batsmen), Rashid Latif (wicketkeeper), Waqar Younis(captain), Wasim Akram, Shoaib Akhtar, Mohammad Sami (fast bowlers),Azhar Mahmood, Abdur Razzaq (allrounders), Saqlain Mushtaq and MushtaqAhmad (spinners).Manager: Yawar SaeedBowling coach-cum-consultant: Daryl FosterTrainer: Dayle Naylor.