Inzamam and Bari defend selection

Inzamam-ul-Haq, the Pakistan captain, and Wasim Bari, the chief selector, have defended the selection of 17 players for the three-match ODI series in Sri Lanka starting March 17.

The selection of so many players for the ODIs led to a protest from Saleem Altaf, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Director of Cricket Operations, who wrote a note of dissent on the squad. "We've picked the new players keeping in mind the next World Cup in 2007," Bari said. " We need to give the new players who have some potential, some exposure to see whether they can develop into steady performers for Pakistan."

Inzamam said the process of preparing for the World Cup had started with the Sri Lanka tour and that's why some young players had been included. "We just want to have a look at them closely to check out their potential and temperament," he added. "You can only do that on a foreign tour and it'll be good for the youngsters to travel with the team and get used to the dressing-room atmosphere and team discipline."

The selectors have picked Tahir Khan and Abdul Rehman, two uncapped spinners, but have said changes could be made for the two Tests, which follow the one-day series. He said, "In Sri Lanka the pitches offer encouragement to the spinners and it's not going to be an easy tour for us. Sri Lanka are a tough team to beat at home."

He added that Muttiah Muralitharan, who passed 600 Test wickets on Friday in the second Test against Bangladesh at Bogra, definitely posed a threat to the Pakistan batsmen. "There is no doubt he is a world-class performer and we'll have to play him very carefully and properly. We've practiced for his type of bowling but he remains a threat and must be watched closely."

He was however confident his players could handle the pressures of the tour and noted they had played Murali before. "The only thing is against a bowler of his caliber, you can't afford to relax at all." The last time Pakistan played in Sri Lanka was in the 2004 Asia Cup, where they suffered a big defeat at the hands of Sri Lanka, a result that eventually cost them a berth in the final.

Inzamam said his players now had to learn from their mistakes of the one-day series loss to India and start afresh. He welcomed the appointment of Zaheer Abbas, as manager, and Waqar Younis, as bowling coach, and felt the youngsters should learn a lot from them on tour.

Shaharyar Khan, the PCB chairman, admitted the board had some reservations over sending 17 players for the three one-dayers to Sri Lanka. "I've spoken to the selectors and captain and I can understand their point of view for picking some extra players," he said. "The idea is to give them exposure and test them out in foreign conditions. It's also a reward for their consistent performances in domestic cricket."