Picking Asif a 'gamble' - Abbas

Former Pakistan captain Zaheer Abbas has criticised the selection of fast bowler Mohammad Asif for the Champions Trophy next month, saying the selectors are gambling by including a player with no international experience for more than a year.

Asif is currently serving the ban imposed on him by the PCB last September after testing positive for the banned substance Nandrolone. It expires on September 22, a day before Pakistan's first match of the tournament.

"He has not played any cricket since last year and no one knows properly about his match fitness or general fitness condition," Abbas told PTI. "It seems to me a big gamble taken by the selectors to rush Asif into the national team."

Asif was included in the 30-member probables for the Champions Trophy. He attended an Under-23 training camp in Karachi to assess his match fitness. He took 1 for 23 in a practice match during that camp, impressing Rashid Latif, who was overseeing it. Pakistan's chief selector Iqbal Qasim was also satisfied with Asif's progress and was confident his fitness would improve by 5-10% by the time the tournament starts.

However, Asif wasn't allowed to take part in Pakistan's conditioning camp because his ban expires after the camp finishes. Abbas believed that the training camp was no substitute for first-class experience.

"It would have been better if the selectors and the board had given Asif some more time to play domestic matches after the conclusion of his ban period and then consider him for the national side," Abbas said. "It is a gamble considering the tough nature of the Champions Trophy and it is a decision which I feel will have a lot of influence on the performance of the team in the upcoming series."