Selectors face dilemma over injury-prone Shoaib Akhtar

`Pampered boy' Shoaib Akhtar will be the centre of focus when the 16- man Pakistan squad for this month's one-day series against New Zealand is announced this week.

The chairman of Pakistan cricket selectors Wasim Bari said his committee would be submitting the squad to the board on Wednesday for approval. But he wasn't sure when the team would be released.

A spokesman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) later confirmed that the squad was likely to be released the same day it was put up by the selectors.

Bari was non-committal when asked if an injury-prone Shoaib Akhtar figured in the selectors one-day matches policy.

"We are discussing every player and the best 16 boys will be picked. It will be then entirely upto the captain and coach to decide which players they wanted field on the day of the match," the former captain said.

Shoaib has not played a Test for Pakistan since the Lord's game in May. His last one-day appearance was in the tri-nation one-day series against Australia before he deserted the Pakistan team to play for local club Lashings.

Shoaib was named in the 27 probables for the Asian Test Championship match against Bangladesh but he was not included in the 15-man squad.

Bari had said Shoaib had not been included as he had asked for more match practice though insider in the PCB claimed the pacer was deliberately withdrew from the game as New Zealander John Reid was the match referee. Reid had reported Shoaib for a suspect bowling action after the 1999 Perth Test against Australia.

If Shoaib really needs match practice, common sense demands that he should not be picked and instead allowed to play a couple of firstclass matches which begin Sept 21 and press for call in the three-Test series which starts at Peshawar from Oct 2.

With Pakistan already well equipped with Waqar Younis, Wasim Akram, Azhar Mahmood and Abdur Razzaq for three one-dayers, even if Shoaib was named, it would result in nothing but waste of time for the man who desperately needs to justify the investment of over Rs 6million on his physical fitness and avoid becoming history.

The selectors are having headaches not only because of Shoaib but also after Mohammad Zahid is said to have regained complete fitness and bowling at full throttle. He is, however, unlikely to be named in the side.

Not much surprises are in store when the team is named. The only uncapped player likely to be named is allrounder Rana Naveed-ul-Hasan.

Likely squad: Saeed Anwar, Shahid Afridi, Imran Nazir, Taufiq Umer, Faisal Iqbal, Yousuf Youhana, Younis Khan, Rashid Latif, Waqar Younis, Wasim Akram, Azhar Mahmood, Abdur Razzaq, Rana Naveed-ul- Hasan, Danish Kaneria, Saqlain Mushtaq and Shoaib Malik.

Inzamam-ul-Haq is expected to be included in the side for Sept 25 onedayer at Rawalpindi after missing the Sept 19 and Sept 22 matches owing to his two-match suspension.