The suspense drama surrounding the Pakistan team for next month's tour
to 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 earlier
in 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 shape
by the PCB chairman Lt Gen Tauqir Zia at 10.20pm who, using his veto
power, included Wasim as the 17th player.
Wasim's inclusion meant that Fazle Akbar, the Peshawar pacer who was
expected to serve as the workhorse, missed the bus after a
satisfactory performance in New Zealand last month.
Also out of the 20-man provisional list announced Tuesday were openers
Imran Nazir and Shahid Afridi while left-handed opener Imran Farhat
sneaked into the team by the skin of his teeth.
Controversial pacer Shoaib Akhtar was also named in the side though
his fitness was still unknown. Shoaib, who has twice been reported for
a suspect bowling action, was supposed to undergo a fitness test. But
he didn't, leaving big doubts whether he would survive the tour which
include four county matches, two Tests and the tri-nation one-day
series.
Shoaib hasn't played competitive cricket since Feb 28 when he hobbled
from the Dunedin ground during the fifth and final one-day
international because of a hamstring injury.
Previously, Shoaib had also failed to complete the tour to the West
Indies and missed rest of 10-month cricket because of multiple
injuries.
Interestingly, Australian Darrell Hair and Englishman Peter Willey who
first reported him in November 1999 in the third Test at Perth, will
be officiating in the Lord's Test starting May 17.
A spokesman of the PCB said the team for the one-day series would be
announced later. He revealed no further details as to why there was a
delay in the announcement of the team.
The inclusion of Wasim Akram, even though as 17th member, confirms
that the former captained played his cards right and made it into the
squad despite the fact that Waqar Younis was stubborn and adamant not
to include him.
However, it is a different issue altogether with Wasim finds a place
in the playing line up in the presence of Waqar, Shoaib, Mohammad
Sami, Abdur Razzaq, Azhar Mahmood, Saqlain Mushtaq and Mushtaq Ahmad.
The demon leftarm pacer should have been an automatic choice as some
of those selected are very ordinary pacers specially at Test level.
The left-hander, who has 409 Test and 440 one-day wickets, has claimed
53 wickets at 29 in his previous four Test tours to England. Besides,
he has more than a decade experience of playing in English conditions
with Lancashire.
Wasim, who will celebrate his 35th birthday on the penultimate day of
the Old Trafford Test, his adopted county ground, has also scored
2,815 runs at 22.52.
While there were no other surprises, Mohammad Wasim earned the
selectors nod after missing 13 months of international cricket.
Wasim, who burst into international scene with a century on debut, had
played 18 Tests in five years which proves that the opener was not
been allowed to establish in the Test side.
Continuous reshuffling of his batting order and lack of proper
technique had combined to affect his overall performance at the
highest level.
The team includes three openers, five middle-order batsmen, a
wicketkeeper, 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 Mushtaq
Ahmad (spinners).
Manager: Yawar Saeed
Bowling coach-cum-consultant: Daryl Foster
Trainer: Dayle Naylor.