Strange decisions by selectors: Wasim, Saeed and Azhar return

Pakistan suffered a huge blow just before the first cricket Test against New Zealand when their two most experienced players Wasim Akram and Saeed Anwar, along with all-rounder Azhar Mahmood, were forced to quit the tour because of injuries.

Off-spinner Arshad Khan's tour lasted little over 72 hours when he was also released. A top Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) official claimed there was no need for Arshad now after Saqlain Mushtaq regained form and fitness in the three-dayer against New Zealand hopefuls.

Arshad, who left on Feb 28 along with Younis Khan and Humayun Farhat, bowled just six overs in Pakistan's an innings and 54-run defeat at Lincoln.

The bewildered and inconsistent selectors continued to commit bloopers after bloopers when they summoned veteran Ijaz Ahmed as one of the four replacements but overlooked Shahid Afridi. The other three, who leave on Tuesday in the third batch, include uncapped Faisal Iqbal and Habib Bank's left-handed opener Taufiq Umar, and paceman Fazle Akbar who has taken four wickets in his previous two Tests.

Afridi had a strong claim because of his Test experience besides additional qualities as a safe fielder and part-time wrist spinner. With Saeed withdrawing, the bungling selectors decided to keep faith in inexperienced Imran Farhat and Taufiq Umar while Saleem Elahi has only appeared in a handful of Tests.

Ironically, Shahid had indicated that he had returned to his punishing best while scoring a 55-ball 63 in Pakistan's 285 which was easily overhauled by New Zealand at Dunedin with 11 balls and four wickets to spare. To further strengthen his claims, Shahid has a Test average of 31.26 from 11 matches as compared to 24.14 in One-day Internationals.

Lt Gen Tauqir Zia, chairman of the PCB, said from Lahore that Wasim Akram, who has 409 Test wickets, was down with a side strain while Saeed Anwar, who is 200 short of 4,000 runs, aggravated a groin injury. Azhar Mahmood is also nursing a side strain.

"The team management communicated to us that doctors there have recommended four to six weeks rest to the trio. Which meant they had no further role to play in New Zealand," the general said.

Wasim looked uncomfortable in the later stages of the fifth One-dayer and missed the Test warm-up game. Saeed played against New Zealand A but hobbled off the ground on the second morning and took no further part in the match.

Interestingly, Wasim Akram had suffered a similar injury during the 1996 World Cup which prevented him from playing in the explosive quarter-final clash against India in Bangalore. Saeed Anwar missed tours to West Indies, Bangladesh, Sharjah and Sri Lanka last year with a knee surgery while Azhar Mahmood was unfit for the home series against England because of groin, hamstring and side injuries for which he was treated in England.

It would not be out of context to mention here that Wasim and Saeed are one of the staunch critics of team coach Javed Miandad. Their sudden departures raise suspicion that all was not well in New Zealand despite repeated claims by skipper Moin Khan and the coach himself that things were well under control.

However, the established fact is that some of the senior players had a confrontation with Miandad and chairman of selectors Wasim Bari on the decision of sending Arshad Khan for Saqlain Mushtaq.

When the debate increased and Bari refuses to bow to the tourists request to allow Saqlain to continue the tour, at least eight players threatened to walk off the tour. Bari, according to sources, immediately contacted the PCB chairman who stepped in and resolved the crisis by allowing Saqlain to stay with the team.

In the meantime, Saqlain Mushtaq also protested with Miandad and manager Fakir Aizazuddin over the board's initial decision of sending him back. He argued with the team officials that he was being dropped on the basis of just one over while his performance in the other games was satisfactory.

There are also unconfirmed reports that a top PCB official called Wasim Akram in New Zealand after the fourth match and expressed his dismay at the way the team lost the match. The official also refused to talk to the captain.

Whatever the PCB official may say now, one thing is clearly emerging. There is a dissent amongst the players against the coach and some officials of the PCB who are pressurizing and threatening them of dire consequences if the team lost or players rebelled.

Reverting to the changes in the team, the selectors have made themselves a laughing stock while making mockery of the much publicized Vision 2003 of the PCB chairman with their mindboggling, strange and far from realistic decisions.

For the one-dayers, they sent five openers and now have reduced them to three, comprising inexperienced teenagers. Ijaz Ahmed's inclusion can be justified to an extent because of the brittle middle-order that was exposed at Lincoln and the injury to Inzamam-ul-Haq. But then the general had told cricket scribes in Karachi last week that if Ijaz is to be recalled for New Zealand tour, then Aamir Sohail, Ramiz Raja and Majid Khan would be required for the England visit.

All said and done. Chaos and confusion reigns supreme in Pakistan cricket and it appears that it is the beginning of the end.

Revised Test squad: Moin Khan (captain), Inzamam-ul-Haq (vicecaptain), Imran Farhat, Saleem Elahi, Taufiq Umar, Younis Khan, Yousuf Youhana, Ijaz Ahmed, Faisal Iqbal, Misbah-ul-Haq, Humayun Farhat (wicketkeeper), Waqar Younis, Mohammad Sami, Fazle Akbar, Abdur Razzaq, Saqlain Mushtaq and Mushtaq Ahmed.