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Pakistan cricket selectors ignored fast bowler Rao Iftikhar in their 22-man training squad named Tuesday for the first test against Sri Lanka later this month.

‘Rao is a good fast bowler for one-day cricket, but we have depth in our fast bowling for test matches,’ chief selector and former test leg-spinner Abdul Qadir said.

The 22-man squad will be cut down to either 14 or 15 players by February 18 after a short training camp at Karachi – starting February 15.

The first test begins February 21 at Karachi, while Lahore will host the second test from March. 1.

The selectors recalled 32-year-old left-handed batsman Asim Kamal for the training camp. Kamal played last of his 12 test matches against England in 2005 before he was sidelined due to poor form.

Also included in the preliminary squad are three more middle-order batsmen from Karachi — Faisal Iqbal, Fawad Alam and Saeed Bin Nasir — but chief selector Abdul Qadir told ‘The News’ that Asim Kamal will be his choice for the first Test getting under way in Karachi from February 21.

But Qadir was quick to add that he would consult with new captain Younis Khan before announcing the final Test squad by February 18.

Young paceman Mohammad Talha received an expected nod from the selectors as a reward for his highly impressive performance in domestic matches. Left arm Pacer Mohammad Aamer was again ignored by the selectors despite his stellar performance in the QA trophy he was also ignored for the two day practice match.

The selectors also decided to give a lifeline to senior all-rounder Shahid Afridi, who is under fire for his poor form with the bat. Afridi was chosen as captain of the local squad for a two-day warm-up game against the Sri Lankans to be played here at the Southend Club Stadium on February 17-18. He is also on the 22-man squad for the training camp.

It was expected as Afridi was in the forefront of players who revolted against Malik and Younis try to keep him in the squad, Afridi needs to be axed he has gotten enough life lines and don’t deserve any more.

Also given an opportunity to attend the conditioning camp is another middle-order batter Bazid Khan while the selectors indicated that they might overlook out-of-form wicket-keeper Kamral Akmal by picking young stumper Sarfraz Ahmed for both the training camp and the 15-man squad for the two-day game against the tourists.

The selection of Bazid and Faisal Iqbal is just an effort to appease Majid khan and Miandad, both players have been performing poorly in domestic cricket and do not deserve to get selected on merit, it is interesting to note that Umar Amin who was selected for the Odi series has been dropped both from the preliminary squad and the squad for the side match, the decision is completely in line with past selection pattern of selecting young players after their stellar performances in domestic cricket and then dropping for the next series them without giving them a single chance, this policy of destroying the careers of young players is the root cause of the ills faced by Pakistan cricket as it seriously hurts the rebuilding effort.

What disgusts me the most is the criminal intent of the selectors, they didn’t gave Umar Amin a chance to showcase his talent in the side match as his good performance against an international team will put huge pressure on the selectors to select him and they will be forced to drop an under performing senior to make room for him. The rationale behind the policy of selecting out of form and under achieving players like Bazid and Faisal Iqbal is to make sure that the status quo in the core of the team is maintained.

The main objective of adopting this policy is to extend the life of under performing seniors who are politically strong.

All-rounder Shoaib Malik, who was asked to step down as Pakistan captain after a humiliating 234-run defeat in the series finale against Sri Lanka, was retained while leg-spinner Danish Kaneria was recalled. Kaneria last played for Pakistan in the Bangalore Test against India in December 2007.

If Mohammad Yousaf makes a come back, Malik will for sure face an axe.

Qadir said that there was an open discussion after which the provisional squad was chosen through consensus.

“I’m a team man,” said Qadir. “As chief selector, I will always give due importance to suggestions from fellow selectors, captain and coach so that the best possible Pakistan team is chosen each and every time,” he stressed.

There was a heated exchange of words between Younis and Qadir in the selection committee’s meeting, When Qadir told Younis that he respects him a lot, Younis responded don’t respect me just do your job properly, Qadir is clearly on the back foot and under a lot of pressure.

Qadir gave detailed explanations over the selection and omission of each and every player.

Speaking on the selection of Asim Kamal, Qadir said that the left-hander is one of the best-available middle-order batters in the country. “Asim has experience and more importantly he knows how to stay on the wicket. In short, he has the sort temperament needed to excel in Test cricket.”

Asim, 31, played the last of his 12 Tests in December 2005 against England in Lahore and has since been overlooked for national duty because of unimpressive form.

Qadir said that he rates Fawad Alam highly as a Test prospect. “Fawad Alam can become a very good Test cricketer. He just needs to work on a couple of his weak points like playing the short ball,” he said.

Qadir said that he and fellow selectors are well aware that the national team management is not happy with Akmal’s performance. “You can see that we have chosen Sarfraz for both the camp and the two-day game. In fact he is our vice-captain for the warm-up match,” he said.

“The 22 players we have selected for the camp do not make the final list,” said Qadir. “We can pick a player from outside that list if needed,” he concluded.

Squad for two-day match against the Sri Lankans: Shahid Afridi (captain), Bazid Khan, Ahmed Shahzad, Saeed Bin Nasir, Azhar Ali, Asim Kamal, Khaqan Arsal, Bilal Khilji, Sarfraz Ahmed (vice-captain), Yasir Shah, Mohammad Khalil, Wahab Riaz, Fahad Masood, Najaf Shah, Azeem Ghumman.

‘We have good cushion in the middle-order with batsmen like Kamal, Faisal Iqbal and uncapped Saeed Bin Nasir,’ Qadir said.

Preliminary squad: Younis Khan, Salman Butt, Nasir Jamshed, Khurram Manzoor, Shoaib Malik, Misbah-ul-Haq, Faisal Iqbal, Asim Kamal, Fawad Alam, Bazid Khan, Saeed Bin Nasir, Sohail Tanvir, Yasir Arafat, Danish Kaneria, Shahid Afridi, Kamran Akmal, Umar Gul, Mohammad Talha, Sohail Khan, Abdul Rauf, Saeed Ajmal, Sarfraz Ahmed.

I think the selectors should drop Akmal for his poor performance and should try out Sarfraz Ahmad.

Openers:

Nasir Jamshed, Salman Butt and Khurram Manzoor

Nasir Jamshed should open with Salman Butt as he is more aggressive and has a wider range of shots than Khurram Manzoor. In a recent statement Saeed Anwar also praised Nasir Jamshed and backed him as the second opener. Nasir has scored three 100′s and three 50′s in 7 matches so far in QA trophy as opposed to Khurram Manzoors one 100 and two 50′s from 6 matches.

Middle Order:

Younis Khan, Misbah Ul Haq, Shoaib Malik, Asim Kamal, Faisal Iqbal, Fawad Alam, Saeed Bin Nasir and Bazid Khan.

The decision to recall Asim Kamal after 4 years is a good one, PCB has done great injustice with Asim in the past but his selection in the final team should only be based on his performance in the side match.

I would not consider Faisal Iqbal or Bazid khan at all. I think Fawad Alam deserves a chance for his 855 runs from 7 matches @ an average of 122 with a highest score of 296.

Younis Khan, Misbah and Malik will get selected by default and if Yousaf makes a come back Asim Kamal or Malik will miss out.

Spinners:

Danish Kineria, Afridi, and Saeed Ajmal.

This is a no brainer Afridi with his current form should not even be in the cntention instead I would have preferred Mansoor Amjad’s name in his place.

Danish Kineria and Saeed Ajmal would be my choice.

Pacers:

Umar Gul, Sohail Tanvir, Mohammad Talha, Yasir Arafat, Abdul Rauf and Sohail Khan.

Ths would be tough, I think if Umar Gul is fit he will get default selection, I would not consider Tanvir or Rauf for this series, my choice would be between Talha, Sohail Khan and Yasir Arafat.

My Team:

Salman Butt, Nasir Jamshed, Younis Khan, Misbah Ul haq, Shoaib Malik, Fawad Alam, Sarfraz Ahmad, Yasir Arafat, Danish Kineria, Umar Gul, Mohammad Talha/ Sohail khan.