Moin and Rashid rival for wicket keeper's slot

Former captains Moin Khan and Rashid Latif are vying for one wicket keeper's slot for next month's tour to England after the selectors finalized a 20-man provisional squad.

Highly placed sources confirmed that both the wicket keepers have been included in the list. But added that the final decision would be taken by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) advisory council in consultation with skipper Waqar Younis. The squad will be named on Monday.

Moin, 30, who lost his captaincy to Waqar Younis earlier this month, on Wednesday confirmed his fitness and availability for the England tour whereas Rashid, 32, who has been out of favours since 1998, is already taking active part in the domestic competitions.

Interestingly, it were the previous tours to England in 1992 and 1996 that changed the fortunes of the two wicket keepers.

In 1992, Rashid claimed the No 1 spot after Moin was dropped for the fifth Test while in 1996, Moin reclaimed the top slot after back trouble sidelined Rashid from the Leeds Test where he became the first wicket keeper in the last century to reach three figures.

"Since Pakistan will play two Tests in the first half of the tour, only one wicket keeper would go in a 16-man squad. Now its entirely up to the concerned authorities which wicket keeper they would choose," sources said.

Besides Moin, Wasim Akram, Azhar Mahmood and Yousuf Youhana have also confirmed their fitness. The foursome along with paceman Shoaib Akhtar and legspinner Mushtaq Ahmad have been named in the provisional squad.

Shoaib is due to return from Australia on Friday and is expected to inform about his fitness on Sunday.

However, there was no place for Ijaz Ahmad who had a splendid 1996 tour to England but failed to deliver the goods in New Zealand after being sent as replacement at a time when he was out of form and unfit.

Considering the unfavourable weather and pitch conditions which are likely to welcome Pakistan in the first half of English summer, Ijaz could have played a pivotal role in Pakistan's bid to keep their three-tour unbeaten record intact. In addition to this, Pakistan only has four middle-order batsmen out of which only two have the required experience of Test cricket.

Saeed Anwar, Imran Farhat, Imran Nazir, Shahid Afridi (openers), Inzamam-ul-Haq (vice-captain), Faisal Iqbal, Younis Khan, Yousuf Youhana (middle-order batsmen), Moin Khan, Rashid Latif, Humayun Farhat (wicketkeepers), Abdur Razzaq, Azhar Mahmood (allrounders), Waqar Younis (captain), Wasim Akram, Mohammad Sami, Shoaib Akhtar (pacers), Saqlain Mushtaq, Mushtaq Ahmad, Shoaib Malik (spinners).