Pakistan team to be named on Oct 7

Karachi, Oct 4: The Pakistan cricket team for the twin tours of Sharjah and Australia will be named on Oct 7. The squads will be released during the National One-day Championship semi-final between reigning champions Allied Bank and former winners PIA.

The date has been set for Oct 7 because skipper Wasim Akram would be representing PIA and one of the selectors Ramiz Raja will be with the Allied Bank as their sports chief. Other selector, Abdul Raqib, is stationed in Karachi.

This leaves chief selector Naushad Ali who will be arriving along with PCB ad hoc committee chairman Mujeeb-ur-Rehman to watch the proceedings.

According to investigations, 13 of the 16 players are automatic selections. Discussions and deliberations were still on the remaining players as the selectors were considering the conditions the team is likely to face in Australia besides the strength and weaknesses of the opposition.

The 12 who select themselves are:

Wasim Akram (captain), Saeed Anwar, Aamir Sohail, Wajahatullah Wasti, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Yousuf Youhana, Moin Khan (vice-captain), Saqlain Mushtaq, Mushtaq Ahmad, Azhar Mahmood, Waqar Younis, Shoaib Akhtar and Shabbir Ahmad.

Under consideration are Hasan Raza, Ijaz Ahmad, Mohammad Wasim, Shahid Afridi (all middle-order batsmen), Abdur Razzak (allrounder) and Rashid Latif (wicket-keeper).

The selectors will first name a 15-man squad for the Sharjah triangular series that will comprise a specialist one-day squad.