Saqlain, Wasim face health problems

Karachi, Oct 20: Saqlain Mushtaq and Wasim Akram are down with minor health problems as Pakistan held their first training session here on Friday.

Team doctor Riaz said Saqlain, who is in town, is suffering from a bad stomach while Wasim had a sore throat.

"They are not serious. They didn't attend the practice as they are playing safe and want to be fit for Tuesday's match," he said.

However, there was no word about skipper Moin Khan who skipped the session without any information. Team coach Javed Miandad said although the wicket-keeper was staying at his residence, he had no knowledge about his whereabouts.

The surprise at the nets was the presence of National Bank's lefthanded opener Tariq Mohammad. He had a long batting session which was quite unusual. Normally, the players not named in the probables or team attend the practice sessions but never bat.

Most of the players trained in pairs with Saeed Anwar pairing with Inzamam-ul-Haq, Waqar Younis batting in nets with a helper. The youngsters - Imran Nazir, Yousuf Youhana, Azhar Mahmood, Abdur Razzaq - and Mushtaq had workouts with Javed Miandad in nets. Miandad later took Youhana for close-in catching practice.