Deserving players ignored

Karachi, July 2: The cricket selectors ignored at least two promising Test players while announcing a 14-man Pakistan `A' squad for this month's tour of Kenya.

Hasan Raza, world's youngest Test player, and Shadab Kabir were overlooked for the trip despite being summoned from England.

The two players, besides KRL's Jaffar Nazir, had returned to Pakistan after terminating their contracts with England clubs. Nevertheless, here they came to know that it was easier for them to play Test and one-day cricket for Pakistan but difficult to get into the second string.

While the Pakistan board officials have been stressing the need for strict discipline, it appointed a vice-captain who refused to play for Pakistan in the Under-19 World Cup in Sri Lanka earlier this year because the board appointed a coach whom he didn't like. Instead of taking a strict disciplinary action, he has been rewarded with vicecaptaincy.

None of the selectors have come out to defend their decision to leave the two cricketers who are now more mature, seasoned and amongst leading run-getters in the 1998-99 domestic circuit.

Also not considered for selection was Imran Abbas who scored over 1,000 runs and was consequently picked for two one-day internationals against Sri Lanka in March. Interestingly, Imran had got those runs in four-day cricket but the same selectorial panel had selected him for one-day cricket!

So much so, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) also have a novel policy of sending extra players on Test tours but limitting the "A" squads on unofficial tours. Need not to say that there is more learning opportunity in second string squads than in the senior team in which all the frontline players take part.

Mohammad Wasim (captain), Bazid Khan (vice-captain), Salim Elahi, Ali Naqvi, Faisal Iqbal, Irfan Farhat, Yasir Arafat, Sajid Shah, Atiquz Zaman (wicket-keeper), Danish Kaneriya, Zahid Saeed, Kashif Raza, Yasir Hameed and Qaisar Abbas.