[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by proudpakistani007: *
...3rd test walay din meri birthday hia...
[/QUOTE]
30th?
Good squad, though Younis Khan atleast deserved to be in the 22, he scored 190 odd runs in a domestic game recently.
Salem Elahi is a good choice, along with Saeed, he looked like a good batsman during WC, I was still puzzled on why he was dropped for Sharjah, but nice to see his name.
Now with the success of Taufeeq and Farhat in the test series, will they be asked to open in the one dayers as well.
I definitly wouldn't doubt it. Both of them are good stroke makers and can play aggressive cricket.
And nice to see some young fast bowlers included in the round and I am definitly surprised by the exclusions of Saqi and Mushy, though Mushy should have been picked to give him a fair chance.
3rd test???
there aint test in this tour…
Pakistan will revisit them, there Pakistan will play test Matches..
.The end of the road for Moin and Rashid?](http://www-pak.cricket.org/db/ARCHIVE/CRICKET_NEWS/2003/NOV/558073_PAK_06NOV2003.html)
Pakistan today announced the 22-man list of probables for the five-match one-day international series against New Zealand, and there was no place for veteran wicketkeepers Rashid Latif and Moin Khan, with the selectors opting for the younger Kamran Akmal.
Also missing were spinners Saqlain Mushtaq and Mushtaq Ahmed, as well as Younis Khan. The players concerned have been told to report to the national academy on Sunday evening for a training camp.
Aamer Sohail, chairman of selectors, said in a statement: "We have recalled Saleem Elahi as a cover for Taufeeq Umar. We understand that Taufeeq has a slight niggle in his knee and therefore we don’t want to risk him because of the more important assignments ahead. Nevertheless, I must appreciate the sense of responsibility and commitment of Taufeeq who conveyed to us his availability for the one-day series.
“As far as Saleem Elahi is concerned, he was never out of our consideration. Actually we were waiting for him to perform in the domestic season and I am glad that he has shown the form and fitness very early in the competition. We are also thinking on the lines that we might need an experienced opener, someone like Saleem, if we decide against selecting Taufeeq for the one-day series.”
In his five innings so far in the Inter-departmental qualifying round, Saleem Elahi scored 110, 8, 0, 65 and 80.
On Akmal’s inclusion, Sohail said: “The decision to include just one wicketkeeper in Kamran Akmal is a move into the future as far as one-day cricket is concerned. He has batted very well in the domestic matches while his wicketkeeping is also good.”
A Bold move bringing Kamran Akmal as a lone wicket-keeper. Lets hope he performs. I dont think that its the end for either Rashid or Moin, it shouldnt be. And like Sohail said mentioend the oneday arena specially, i think one of them will go to New Zealand for tests atleast.
Strange to see Faisal Iqbal and Younis Khan ignored from the probables, Younis Khan should have been there atleast in the probables.
Good to see Abdul Rauf given a chance, i hope he makes a mark, a very prolific performer in domestic circuit.
Nice for Azhar to be given a recall, he is not a finished article as yet. (Neither is Afridi :) ). Saleem Elahi 's recall is surprising but not bad. He is an aggressive opener and might perform. Imran Farhat and Yasir Hameed should open though on permanent basis in ODIs....
Ay Sohail day bachay noo ay pucho kay kithay phirda rehnda ay !!!
khud hi pata chal jaay ga kay kithon banday lub kay lay aanda ay …
This is a perfect selection. For once I am with Amir. Good he kicked Younus and Faisal. I think the current PAK squad have better players than Younus who can be more effective than Younus and Faisal.
About Rashid and Moin I think they are going to see how Kamran performs. If he performs well with keeping the wicket specifically than I am sure Amir will kick Rashid and Moin out.
ohh sorry.. wohi wohi… ODI 
november 25th 
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by proudpakistani007: *
...
november 25th :)
[/QUOTE]
I meant 30th birthday :D
[thumb=D]Rauf.JPG[/thumb]
Abdur Rauf
Since Shoaib Akhtar can’t play first two matches, homies, we are likely to see Abdur Rauf-Mohammad Sami pace-attack. Abdur Rauf has an impressive record in the first-class and in limited over, he’s fine. Mohammad Irshad doesn’t have experience at domestic level, therefore, he’s just included to be in the 22 squad. I don’t see him in the final 15-member squad.
Saqlain Mushtaq has been way below the average in both ODI and Test, though, he played only one ODI and Test match after his comeback into the side but in those games he wasn’t up to the standard level like he was once used to be. It’s good Mushtaq Ahmed wasn’t included in the squad and maybe it’s better to have him in the Test squad. The conditions in NZ are, somewhat, same as of in England, therefore, I think he might be included in the squad for NZ tour.
This series will be a do or die for Azhar Mehmood, otherwise, the selection committe might prefer to see Bilal Asad or Naveed Latif in place of him. Abdul Razzaq has proven that he’s fine all-rounder when it comes to ODI. Shoaib Malik is all that great.
Younis Khan have to blame himself for NOT being impressive. Misbah-ul-Haq inclusion is :k: and Asim Kamal, in this series, will be tested whether he’s good at the level of ODI or not.
Nice to have Kamran Akmal back into the side. He can keep the wickets and put runs on the board. We need a keeper who can bat and keep the gloves at the same time.
When Salim Elahi sidelined after WC, he had some technical flaws. Maybe, he has figured his footwork, and just like Taufeeq Umer, we might find him different player. No haram in try!
saby: Yaar, Afridi is busy in making 60-70 K per season in South Africa{Source: The News Internatinal, dated Nov. 4, 2003}. Since PCB officials don’t give credit and respect where it is due, let Afridi be in South Africa. At least, with his skills he can earn bucks. 
ummm… the squad is not bad at all.. We already have some good openers like Imran Farhat, Taufiq Umair and even Salman Butt can open including experience of Saleem Elahi…:k:
and is Abdur-Rauf a leggie or pacer:konfused:
Abdul Rauf is right handed pacer, his First Class (perhaps longer duration game) record is impressive, but not so in List A Limited Overs.
I hope he is given some chances.
FIRST-CLASS
(1999/00 - 2002/03)
M I NO Runs HS Ave 100 50 Ct St
Batting & Fielding 25 41 11 379 60* 12.63 0 1 11 0
O M R W Ave BBI 5 10 SR Econ
Bowling 780 121 2864 127 22.55 8-40 8 2 36.8 3.67
LIST A LIMITED OVERS
(1999/00 - 2002/03)
M I NO Runs HS Ave 100 50 Ct St
Batting & Fielding 20 14 3 92 31 8.36 0 0 2 0
O M R W Ave BBI 4w 5w SR Econ
Bowling 167.3 10 799 24 33.29 4-59 1 0 41.8 4.77
Aamir Sohail at it again 
God know why does he has to be this strong-headed All the time …
Sohail’s arbitrary move irks PCB and team officials
By Waheed Khan
KARACHI: Chief selector Aamer Sohail announced the list of 22 probables for the one-day series against New Zealand on Thursday without bothering to consult or inform the Pakistan team captain or coach.
According to confirmed information, neither Inzamam-ul-Haq nor Javed Miandad were aware till late night of the list of 22 probables being finalized and released, and when contacted they refused to comment on the issue.
And most importantly, according to sources it seems that Sohail didn’t even bother to seek the approval of the acting Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board Rameez Raja before releasing the probables to the press.
The source said that **Rameez was tight lipped and upset over the whole incident as under the PCB regulations the selection committee had to seek the approval of the chairman before releasing any team.
And since Tauqir Zia is out of the country automatically this approval had to be sought from chief executive Rameez Raja who is also working as acting director.**
It is not the first time that Sohail has indulged in such tactics and arbitrary decisions and few weeks ago, without seeking the approval of either the Chairman and CEO, had announced Junaid Zia as captain of the Pakistan A team that went to play in the Emerging trophy in Sri Lanka.
The chairman the very next day had a press release issued, removing Junaid Zia as captain and appointing Qaiser Iqbal as the new skipper but for obvious reasons he chose not to criticize Sohail in the press.
Sources said that Inzamam and Miandad were very upset at Sohail’s decision to arbitrarily release the team without consulting them and had decided to speak to the chairman upon his return next week on the overbearing attitude of the chief selector.
The best part is that even the Karachi-based selectors were not consulted properly by Sohail who finalized the team with another selector Shafiq Ahmed sitting in Lahore and then informed the others on telephone.
Rashid, Moin, Mushtaq axed; Elahi recalled among 22 for NZ series
By Waheed Khan
KARACHI: Fresh on the heels of a Test series win over South Africa, the national selection committee headed by Aamer Sohail on Thursday came across as a bundle of contradictions while announcing a pool of 22 players for the one-day series against New Zealand.
While opting to drop seasoned wicketekepers Rashid Latif and Moin Khan and pinning all hopes on Kamran Akmal, the selectors described him as young and energetic and one for the future.
The selectors then contradicted themselves by recalling Saleem Elahi, who turns 28 on November 21 and remains a hugely suspect player against quality bowling.
The justification given for Elahi’s recall was his form in the ongoing non-first class, inter-departmental qualifying rounds in which he has scored 110, 8, 0, 65 and 80 and the fact that he is a back-up for Taufeeq Umar who has a knee problem.
How the selectors can justify Elahi’s recall on the basis of a string of scores in a non-first class event against weak outfits is hard to understand.
And if this was the criteria for selection, then Younis Khan also on Wednesday smashed 190-plus in the same match in which Elahi scored 80.
More importantly Muhammad Hafeez had scores of 152 and 95 for Sui Gas against Habib Bank and Pakistan education board in the same competition.
When one recalls that after Pakistan’s failed campaign in the World Cup the emphasis of the Pakistan Cricket Board was on rebuilding a new team, some of the decisions by the selectors are mind-boggling.
The selectors continue to ignore Younis and utility players like Muhammad Hafeez and Shahid Afridi in the one-day squad, something which is quite puzzling and is hard to digest.
No one in Pakistan will be willing to say that these three are spent forces and not good enough to be around in the Pakistan team when the next World Cup is played.
If one goes by the rebuilding process argument, it does explains to an extent the decision to drop Rashid, Moin or the two spinners Saqlain and Mushtaq Ahmed.
But recalling Saleem Elahi who made his debut for Pakistan way back in 1995 sort of negates the rebuilding argument specially when he is coming in at the cost of younger, better and more energetic players in the one-day version of the game.
In one-day cricket Elahi commands a batting average of 36 in 40 matches but a closer look at his record shows that 80 per cent of his runs have come against weaker opposition or on flat tracks.
In 13 Tests in which the competition level was high his batting average is just 18.
Hafeez and Afridi have better batting averages in ODIs and are also brilliant fielders and excellent stock bowlers who give their captain a lot of bowling options.
Plus they are still very young and definitely have more of an exuberance in their approach. Afridi also has been showing good form in the South African domestic cricket.
Younis Khan, despite his recent poor form, remains an ideal all-round one-day cricketer and can come good at crisis times. The grapevine has it that even before the series against South Africa ended, a lot of pressure was being applied from different quarters on the Board to give Elahi another chance, all orchestrated by his elder brother, the former Pakistan player Manzoor Elahi who is a business partner with one of the team officials.
But then the selectors have rarely followed any set criteria while selecting players because although Imran Farhat went onto do well in the two Tests against South Africa and formed a good opening partnership with Taufeeq Umar, his batting average in last season’s first class competition was just 13!
As far as Rashid and Moin are concerned, both of them partially have themselves to blame for the dilemma they find themselves in.
Moin because he could not show signs of his old form when playing against South Africa, and Rashid because he has tended to take his spot in the team very easy and has had a tendency of hurting himself.
But one has a feeling that there is going to be another comeback for him before the one-day series against New Zealand is over because with all fairness and without being unfair to young Akmal, Rashid even at 34 remains the best wicketkeeper in the country, a fair batsman, a respected figure in the team and someone who has delivered when the chips are down.
And wicketkeeping, despite all the recent theories, remains a specialist and vital spot in any team.
Kamran Akmal still has a lot to learn as far as wicketkeeping and consistency is concerned and even his batting does not have a real method to it, a factor well explited by good bowlers.
In a way it is good that the selectors are taking a full chance with Akmal because that is the only way they are going to realize that in Pakistan cricket a big gap exists between the wicketkeeping standards of Rashid and even Moin and the other keepers around on the domestic circuit.
And if the inter-departmental qualifying round is a criteria for selection then Rashid has been in outstanding form while leading Allied Bank.
And as far as Rashid and Moin’s selection is considered one cannot discount an element of politics and personal scores being settled with them. Oh yeah Saqlain and Mushtaq have also been axed from the list of 22 because of their average performances in recent matches.
It is a good sign that young leg-spinner Danish Kaneria is being given the responsibility of the sole specialist spinner in the Pakistan squad on the basis of his fine performances against South Africa.
The selectors have also decided to give all-rounder Bilal Asad another chance when on two tours to Sri Lanka and England he was never considered good enough to play a single one-day match.
There is also a place for the rookie 21-year old pacer Muhammad Irshad in the team although he has played just two first class games but has taken 11 wickets.
I think Waheed Khan holds some personal grudges against Salim Elahi.
Salim Elahi was never dropped after WC, he was initially chosen in the squad for Sharjah but was dropped due to injury.
And he was also one of the better batsmen from the WC.
What? 
Both Afridi and Hafeez average 20 odd while Salem Elahi is averaging 36.
What is this guy smoking?
Though I do agree with him about chosing players just because they did well in domestic system.
But I have a feeling that he won’t be playing any matches if Taufeeq can stay fit.
Junaid deserves a place in the National Team
[thumb=D]3010news1.JPG[/thumb]
Pakistan Pace bowler Junaid Zia surely needs to be considered for the upcoming cricket series. Junaid has proved himself to be a reliable bowler in the Emerging Cricket Tournament in Sri Lanka and has also played very well for his Domestic Team; Customs.
Cricketabad caught up with him at the Quaid-e-Azam Cricket Park, where he took 5 wickets in a three day match against Pakistan International Airlines.
Junaid has shown remarkable improvement in his fitness and skill. He is currently under training with the best fast bowling coach of Pakistan; Jallal-ud-din.
Junaid has been unfortunate as people have perceived him to be a player selected because of his father, but CRICKETABAD believes that the boy has some real talent, which can be polished to make him a world class player.
Junaid is an extremely fit young man with great sportsman spirit on and off the field. He is extremely polite and well disciplined something that lacks in cricket today. The PCB should seriously consider Junaid Zia for selection in the upcoming international series.
^^ Cricketabad 
nice name!!
Though i think Junaid Zia will come again in the team and that too sooner than later, he recently performed in domestic matches too and after that emerging trophy performance, Aamir Sohail must be itching to please Older Zia and stay in the hot seat
*Originally posted by saby: *
…
The selectors continue to ignore Younis and utility players like Muhammad Hafeez and Shahid Afridi in the one-day squad, something which is quite puzzling and is hard to digest.
who is this Waheed? Does he follow cricket at all? Everybody knows what happened to Hafeez… and Afridi, please it was so difficult to get rid of him and he wants him back 
. Keep Afridi for Hong Kong Super Sixes types of tournaments.
Saqlain and Mushtaq have also been axed from the list of 22 because of their average performances in recent matches.
Average? I think it was below average.
**There is also a place for the rookie 21-year old pacer Muhammad Irshad in the team although he has played just two first class games but has taken 11 wickets. **
:k: one more pacer
At last. Kamran Akmal is back! Yahooo!! :k:
Saleem Elahi is also back. But Why? I hope they don’t play him as an opener.
13 ODIs and 6 Test matches in 4 monthes, damn. Anyways…
Go get 'em boys!
waheed was comparing elahi’s average of 13 in test matches versus afridi and hafeez average above 20…but i agree with you that he was too harsh on saleem elaahi… i have seen him playing and he is a decent player though he always has trouble with an outswinger… but he deserve to be given a chance should taufeeq is unfit…but i was shocked to see his test average… only 13… man that is really bad and definitly it will raise a lot of eyebrows…
over all it is a good team and amer sohail has done a reasonable job…he can not make every one happy and so far he is fair to some extent, i guess he is doing a good job.. at least he has guts to drop any senior or bing name if he is not performing and that is why tauqeer zia is keeping amer…