Samiul Hasan: Sohail may be pulled out from HK sixes team (23 Sep 1997)

23 September 1997

Sohail may be pulled out from HK sixes team

By Samiul Hasan

KARACHI, Sept 22: Test discard Aamir Sohail may be pulled out from the sixes team and instead be included in the team for the one-day series against India.

According to well informed sources, a member of the selection committee, Shafiq Ahmad, was due to arrive in Karachi by Wednesday and is expected to bring with him some very important and useful information and advice from the cricket authorities.

Shafiq will meet acting chairman of selectors, Zaheer Abbas, on Wednesday and the two will finalise a 14-member team for the three games against India.

Among notable changes in the Pakistan side is expected to be of Aamir Sohail who is attending a training camp in Lahore under the supervision of Agha Zahid, national junior team coach. He has been attending the training sessions on the instructions of the PCB, sources said. Sohail was earlier ignored for the three-dayer against South Africa but was selected in the team which will take part in the sixes contest to be held in Hong Kong on Sept 26 and 27.

It is also expected that Waqar Younis and Mushtaq Ahmad will also return to the national team. However, their inclusion depends chiefly on the information of PCB who is finding out the availability and fitness of the two.

While Waqar Younis guided Glamorgan to victory in the English county championship, Mushtaq was suffering from a knee injury. At least, this was the explanation which was given to the PCB by Mushtaq who continued to grab wickets for Somerset.

"Mushtaq had said that since the matches against India will be pressured ones, he wanted to play in full fitness," sources quoted the leg-spinner as saying.

Meanwhile, the selectors are also expecting a call from chief selector Salim Altaf who is currently in Toronto. Altaf, who will be out of the country till Oct 4, is expected to inform his colleagues about the fitness of Saeed Anwar who missed the fifth game because of injury. Saeed Anwar, the opener, is expected to take over the team from Ramiz Raja who may be relieved of his responsibilities.

However, chief executive of the Pakistan Cricket Board, Majid Khan, said from Lahore that he hoped that there will not be a change in the captaincy. "We will not be calling any Council meeting and also hoping that the element of continuity remains."

Majid said the selection committee meeting will certainly be held but was unsure of the date. "Salim Altaf is returning with the team and immediately after he arrives, a meeting will be held."

Majid said Altaf was to proceed to America from Canada but has cancelled his visit.

Source:: Dawn (https://dawn.com/)