No surprises expected in Pakistan's preliminary WC squad

Pakistan will announce their 30-man provisional squad for this year's World Cup in the Caribbean early next week, according to Ahsan Malik, the PCB's director of communications. With Wasim Bari, the chief selector, out of the country and Iqbal Qasim, the former Test cricketer and member of the national selection committee, hospitalised after suffering a heart attack, Pakistan were forced to hold back on the announcement.

"We are more or less clear on what sort of pool to announce for the World Cup but would announce the provisional squad after a final round of discussion among the selection committee and the national team management," Malik told The News. "The list would be announced within a couple of days after the chief selector returns home. The selectors might have a few discussions among each other and may also discuss the issue with [Bob] Woolmer and Inzamam-ul-Haq before naming the squad.

The deadline is January 13, though several of the 16 teams, including defending champions Australia, have already announced their squads. Pakistan are unlikely to make any surprise additions to a list of 25 players who attended a brief conditioning camp in Lahore late last month in preparation for the tour of South Africa. Medium pacers Mohammad Khalil and Samiullah Khan, Fawad Alam, the young allrounder, and and Imran Niazi, the opener, are likely to be added in the World Cup preliminary squad. Fawad, who was the best player of the domestic Twenty20 Cup last month, is the only new face expected to make the list.

According to the ICC, the deadline for submission of the final 14-member squads for the World Cup is February 13, a month before the tournament's opening game between Pakistan and the West Indies on March 13 in Jamaica.