Gul and Irfan named in Pakistan A squad

Umar Gul and Mohammad Irfan have been named in a 14-man Pakistan A squad for a one-off Twenty20 against Afghanistan A in Islamabad on November 15. Sohaib Maqsood, who led Pakistan A to a 2-1 series win over UAE recently, will continue as captain.

Gul has not played international cricket since the World T20 in April due to an ongoing knee problem but has put together four strong appearances in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy. He has taken 25 wickets including two five-wicket hauls and the selectors feel the time is now right to begin a push back towards the full Pakistan side.

"The inclusion of Umar Gul is part of the selection panel's strategy of slowly bringing him back into international cricket," chief selector Moin Khan said. "Umar is an experienced campaigner who has recently struggled with a knee injury, but his [form] in the ongoing Quaid-e-Azam Trophy is an indication that he is getting up to speed in terms of being match-fit as well as wicket-taking form".

Irfan, who is tipped to make an impact at the 2015 World Cup, has not been used during Pakistan's current Test campaigns in the UAE in order to manage his workload ahead of the tournament in Australia and New Zealand. The T20 against Afghanistan is being used as a way to ease him back into competitive cricket.

The hard-hitting wicketkeeper batsman Mohammad Rizwan - who last year was a strong contender for the national side - has once again been preferred to Bismillah Khan. However, opener Sharjeel Khan has been dropped after making 5 and 15 against UAE and has been replaced by Rawalpindi opener Awais Zia.

"The squad for the Twenty20 match against Afghanistan is a balanced one - a decent blend of seniors of proven calibre but trying to regain fitness and form as well as youngsters knocking at the door of international cricket on the back of performances in our first class cricket," Moin said.

The match has been arranged by two governments and the Afghan president and prime minister are expected to meet their Pakistan counterparts on the sidelines of the match.

Pakistan A: Adil Amin, Anwar Ali, Awais Zia, Babar Azam, Bilawal Bhatti, Imran Khan Junior, Mohammad Irfan, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Mukhtar Ahmad, Nasir Jamshed, Raza Hasan, Saad Nasim, Sohaib Maqsood (capt), Umar Gul