Pak probables for Asia Cup/Indian probables announced.

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for once, I think the selectors have got the openers right. Salman, Nazir and Farhat are more suited to the ODI game. I hope Salman gets a chance ahead of Nazir though that is very unlikely.

also, hopefully the selectors will give guys like Nazir and Younis a fair chance now instead of playing musical chairs with them. whether they merited selection is another debate but now that they’re in, they should be given some sort of a consistent run.

Afridi didn’t merit exclusion on three matches, IMO. they continue to put him into the team out of nowhere and throw him our for no reason. no wonder the poor guy is so confused. some days he’s opening, others he’s at 9. what a joke. some days he’s not bowling at all, other days he’s bowling all 10.

Riaz Afridi is a good prospect but if the selectors think that he’s ready for international cricket, they’re fooling themselves.

Shoaib Akhtar… no comments.

**Younis in; Afridi axed from Asia Cup probables’ list **

By Waheed Khan

KARACHI: The National selectors have ignored swashbuckling all rounder Shahid Afridi for next month’s Asia Cup cricket tournament in Sri Lanka but have kept fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar in the probables’ list subject to his fitness.

According to sources in the Board, which have received a list of 24 probables from the national selection committee headed by Wasim Bari and including Iqbal Qasim, Ehteshamuddin and Sultan Rana, batsman Younis Khan has been recalled for the tournament.

While Afridi was dropped after playing three one-day matches against India in the recent series, Younis surprisingly was dropped for the three-match Test series after doing fairly well in the five-match ODI series.

The PCB announced on Monday that it would be holding a two-week training camp in Lahore for the Asia Cup.

The sources disclosed that the selectors had included Shoaib in their probables list for the camp training but have made it clear that his availability is subject to his being cleared by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) medical panel. “They are no surprises in the probables’ list except that the selectors have included two youngsters; the promising fast bowler Riaz Afridi and opener Salman Butt in the list,” one source said.

**The left-handed Salman Butt has played one Test for Pakistan against Bangladesh last year at Multan but Riaz Afridi is yet to get a cap for his country although he has been a regular member of the national Under-19 and ‘A’ teams.

The source said that the selectors had also not considered regular opener Taufeeq Umar for the one-day competition preferring to keep Imran Farhat, Imran Nazir and Butt as possible options.**

The selectors have also included a strong pace bowling battery in the list headed by Shoaib and including Muhammad Sami, Shabbir Ahmed, Umar Gul, Abdul Rauf, Rao Iftikhar and Riaz Afridi.

The probables’ list submitted by the selectors to the PCB, which is subject to approval from the PCB, and captain Inzamam-ul-Haq is:

Imran Farhat, Imran Nazir, Salman Butt, Yasir Hameed, Younis Khan, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Yousuf Youhana, Misbah-ul-Haq, Faisal Iqbal, Bazid Khan, Asim Kamal, Moin Khan, Kamran Akmal, Abdul Razzaq, Shoaib Malik, Shoaib Akhtar, Muhammad Sami, Shabbir Ahmed, Umar Gul, Abdul Rauf, Rao Iftikhar, Riaz Afridi, Danish Kaneria, Rana Naveed-ul-Hasan and Yasir Arafat.

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My Team..

01 Imran Farhat/Imran Nazir
02 Yasir Hameed
03 Yousuf Youhana
04 Asim Kamal
05 Inzamam-ul-Haq
06 Shoaib Malik
07 Kamran Akmal
08 Muhammad Sami
09 Shabbir Ahmed
10 Umar Gul
11 Danish Kaneria

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^ with shoaib and razzaq out of this team, it feels u r left with only half a team....

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looks like we got some good players in now..

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Yet again this clown has put his own inflated ego and self interests before the team and country. When will this guy learn. Is he really serious about representing Pakistan. While he is a great bowler he should also behave in a dignified manner. I have nothing but contempt and disgust for his attitude.

Shoaib in Asia Cup squad?](http://uk.cricinfo.com/link_to_database/ARCHIVE/CRICKET_NEWS/2004/JUN/169581_PAK_15JUN2004.html)

Shoaib Akhtar has been named among Pakistan’s probables for the Asia Cup, while Shahid Afridi has been sidelined, it was reported today. The News quoted unnamed board sources saying that Shoaib’s inclusion in the side will depend on his fitness.

The move comes after Shoaib had publicly admitted that he had “lost the urge” to play in the Asia Cup, and it would be a while before he represented Pakistan again. He expressed disappointment over the manner in which the board had treated him after the ribcage injury he sustained in the series against India. Shoaib’s comments sent the board into a tizzy, and they asked him to clarify his position.

Interestingly, it was reported that the PCB had earlier told the selectors not to select Shoaib for the tournament on medical grounds. Alarmed by the signals, Shoaib asserted that he was fit and ready to play, and that his rib injury had healed after he had taken a two-week rest.

Shoaib had hurt his ribcage while bowling during the third Test against India earlier this year, but confounded the management by batting unhindered later in the game. His performance added fuel to rumours of attitude problems, as well as differences between him and Inzamam-ul-Haq about strategy. A medical inquiry was called for by the PCB - which had questioned the seriousness of the injury when Shoaib played for Durham shortly after - but the medical team confirmed Shoaib’s damaged ribcage. To complicate matters further, Shoaib aggravated the injury during a county game and was advised to rest until the injury had healed completely. Since then, counter to the PCB’s advice to rest, he has bowled for Durham.

The selectors have sent the probables list to the PCB, which will release it shortly.

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we have to somehow accept it that we dont have any other bowler in the pak team beside akhtar who can really bring down any opponent....

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I accept it that shoaib is the only bowler capable of bringing down one of the teams.

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Where did Junaid Zia go, with his dad?

It was stupidity of PCB to include Shahid Afridi against India just because his record was good against them, I don't think its wrong to sideline him now. Pace battery is good, but only Shoaib is fearsome and experienced, Sami is occasionaly star. We do need other fasties to gain experience. Interestingly, we have only one spinner in Kaneria.

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[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by ehsan: *
While he is a great bowler he should also behave in a dignified manner.

The move comes after Shoaib had publicly admitted that he had "lost the urge" to play in the Asia Cup, and it would be a while before he represented Pakistan again. He expressed disappointment over the manner in which the board had treated him after the ribcage injury he sustained in the series against India. Shoaib's comments sent the board into a tizzy, and they asked him to clarify his position.

[/QUOTE]

Ehsan bhai do you really think Shoaib A. is a great bowler. to me a great bowler is one who rises to the occasion against the best of the best. not some dimwit who calls himself the greatest bowler on the planet after the slightest hint of a performance and lets down the country every single time he's actually needed in a real match.

regardless of that technicality, I think he should be banned indefinitely for his "lost the urge" BS. in my years of following the Pak team I have never seen such an overrated, pampered, arrogant, immature, and just plain stupid player. for me, he needs to be out of the team for good.

we have plenty of decent pacers around the domestic scene. you don't need to bowl at 99.99 mph to take wickets something that the Indian bowlers, and Umar Gul showed us.

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interesting. I think Kamran did a pretty good job especially when compared to Moin’s poor effort earlier.

besides, we need people who’re going to fall in line and follow the coach instead of reminsicing about the good old days when player power was king. If Shoaib akhtar is retained however, I wonder how Woolmer is going to deal with him…

I think making Younis the vice captain would be a very poor move. for now, they should let Youhana keep the vice captaincy and get Woolmer’s input on whether there needs to be a change there. Younis has had a very, very ordinary career thus far and he wouldn’t make it in most international teams. only reason why his name keeps coming back in Pakistan is because of the dearth of sensible batting talent and lack of future leaders.

**Announcement of Asia Cup probables delayed **

By our correspondent

KARACHI: The announcement of the probables for the Asia Cup training camp was again delayed on Thursday by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) amidst rising speculations that this was because the Board didn’t want two senior players on the list.

A source in the PCB said that the chief selector Wasim Bari had tried to sort out this matter the whole day on Thursday, but a senior official of the Board was not keen to have fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar and wicketkeeper Moin Khan on the list and wanted it reduced from 25 to 23.

“The selectors have submitted a list of 25 probables that features Shoaib and Moin. But the senior official has taken the stand that until captain Inzamam-ul-Haq gives clearance the list should not be announced,” the source said.

He said attempts were being made to get Inzamam on board to support the move to drop Shoaib and Moin from the probables’ list since the senior Board officials supported by some others believed these two were not fit and would only have adverse effects on the other players in the training camp.

“Their feeling is that with a new coach Bob Woolmer taking charge this is the best time for Pakistan cricket to distance itself from Shoaib while the grouse with Moin is that he is not completely fit and young Kamran Akmal did a reasonable job in the test series against after Moin was injured after the first Test,” the source disclosed.

The Board said on Wednesday that Shoaib would have to fly back to Pakistan and join the training camp and would only be considered for selection after he passed a stringent fitness test conducted by the board.

The source there was also a move to appoint Younis Khan as vice captain to Inzamam and start grooming under the new coach to take over as captain eventually. In recent months, Yousuf Youhana has been deputy to Rashid Latif and Inzamam and even led the side when the two have been injured.

“The selectors want to announce the list but since Inzamam is abroad and only returning on Saturday, talks have been held with him on these two players on telephone,” the source added.

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----------x--------------
Would you like some mustard & tobassco sause on that too. :rolleyes:

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I guess it is an ok probable group they named.
I was THRILLED to see that Taufiq Umar was'nt included on the list. The guy is a painfully ineffective batsman. It is kind of strange to see Zahid Saeed and Riaz Afridi included. I did'nt think that either of those guys were that highly rated. Whatever happened to the new Glen McGrath,,, I think his name was Rao Iftikhar?
I would like to see Asim Kamal and Kamran Akmal both make the team ahead of Moin Khan and Yunis Khan. Moin is really aging and we need to move on, as for Yunis the less that is said- the better. The guy has been around forever and has literally nothing to show for it.
The opening combo should be really interesting, looks like Farhat and either Nazir or Salman Butt. Will be a really attacking group. I like Hameed at 3rd, he is solid.
It should be interesting to here what happens as they move into training for the series.

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Harbhajan, Zaheer among Indian probables for Asia Cup cricket](Yahoo is part of the Yahoo family of brands.)

BANGALORE, India (AFP) - Star spinner Harbhajan Singh and paceman Zaheer Khan have been named among Indian probables for the Asia Cup tournament after recovering from injuries, a top cricket official said here.

Indian board secretary Karunakaran Nair said the 20 probables picked by the selectors would attend a training camp in Madras in the first week of July.

“The team for the Asia Cup will be named on July 7,” he said on Sunday.

The six-nation Asia Cup limited-overs tournament will begin in Sri Lanka on July 16. India have been placed in Group B along with the hosts and the United Arab Emirates.

Pakistan, Bangladesh and Hong Kong are in Group A.

Harbhajan was out of international cricket for more than six months after suffering a finger injury in the first Test against Australia at Brisbane in December.

The off-spinner, with 104 wickets in the shorter version of the game, played his last one-dayer in November at home against Ricky Ponting’s Australians.

Zaheer, with 125 wickets in one-dayers, missed India’s last two Tests in Pakistan in April due to a hamstring injury.

“All the probables are fit,” said Nair.

Rohan Gavaskar, son of legendary former Indian opener Sunil, was also named among the probables after missing a one-day series in Pakistan.

Indian probables: Sourav Ganguly, Virender Sehwag, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Venkatsai Laxman, Yuvraj Singh, Mohammad Kaif, Parthiv Patel, Anil Kumble, Harbhajan Singh, Murali Kartik, Ramesh Powar, Hemang Badani, Zaheer Khan, Ashish Nehra, Ajit Agarkar, Irfan Pathan, Laxmipathy Balaji, Amit Bhandari, Rohan Gavaskar.

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I think following 5 will not go to Asia Cup.

Amit Bhandari
Romesh Pawar
Rohan Gavaskar
Parthiv Patel
Murali Kartik

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The Game Responds:

      *Have you guys even seen Kamran Akmal bat!? Really! I admit that he showed spark with the gloves, but by God, I haven't seen anything as horrible when it comes to batting! Humayun Farhat is a much better choice if you want to pick some one young for the wicket keeping position, although there is no need for that as we have Moin Khan. People, That Is All.*
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Asia Cup2004

Group A: Pakistan, Bangladesh, Hong Kong
Group B: Sri Lanka, India, UAE
Phase one:

16 July:
Bangladesh v Hong Kong (SSC)
India v UAE (Dambulla)

17 July:
Pakistan v Bangladesh (SSC)
Sri Lanka v UAE (Dambulla)

18 July:
Pakistan v Hong Kong (SSC)
Sri Lanka v India (Dambulla)

Phase two:

21 July: A2 v B2 (SSC), A1 v B1 (Premadasa)
23 July: A2 v B1 (Premadasa)
25 July: A1 v B2 (Premadasa)
27 July: B1 v B2 (Premadasa)
29 July: A1 v A2 (Premadasa)
1 Aug: Final (Premadasa)
2 Aug: Reserve day

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Shoaib named in Asia Cup probables list

Wisden Cricinfo staff

June 18, 2004

Shoaib Akhtar: back in favour with Pakistan’s selectors? © AFP

Despite raising several questions about his fitness levels, the Pakistan selectors have included Shoaib Akhtar in a 26-man probables list for the Asia Cup. However, Shahid Afridi, Azhar Mahmood and Saqlain Mushtaq have been omitted.

The list includes three new faces – Riaz Afridi and Zahid Saeed, both seam bowlers, and Bazid Khan, a batsman. The 26 players will attend a training camp at Lahore from June 28, while the final squad for the tournament, which starts on July 16, will be named after the camp.

Shoaib’s inclusion in the Asia Cup squad was in considerable doubt after the Pakistan board had raised questions about his fitness and his attitude. Rameez Raja, the chief executive of the PCB, had earlier said that Shoaib, currently playing for Durham in England’s county season, would have to undergo a “stringent fitness test” before being considered for selection. Shoaib himself expressed his disappointment over the manner in which the entire issue had been handled, saying that he had “lost the urge” to play the Asia Cup, and that it would be a while before he donned the Pakistan colours again.

Pakistan have been placed in a relatively easy group, also featuring Bangladesh and Hong Kong, while the other group consists of India, Sri Lanka and UAE. Pakistan’s performances in the competition will also be watched closely as it will be their first tournament under Bob Woolmer, their new coach.

The probables list
Imran Farhat, Yasir Hameed, Imran Nazir, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Yousuf Youhana, Abdul Razzaq, Shoaib Malik, Moin Khan, Mohammad Sami, Shabbir Ahmed, Umar Gul, Kamran Akmal, Rana Naveed-ul-Hasan, Shoaib Akhtar, Danish Kaneria, Younis Khan, Rao Iftikhar, Mohammad Hafeez, Faisal Iqbal, Asim Kamal, Salman Butt, Riaz Afridi, Zahid Saeed, Misbah-ul-Haq, Bazid Khan, Yasir Arafat.

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The probables list
Imran Farhat, Yasir Hameed, Imran Nazir, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Yousuf Youhana, Abdul Razzaq, Shoaib Malik, Moin Khan, Mohammad Sami, Shabbir Ahmed, Umar Gul, Kamran Akmal, Rana Naveed-ul-Hasan, Shoaib Akhtar, Danish Kaneria, Younis Khan, Rao Iftikhar, Mohammad Hafeez, Faisal Iqbal, Asim Kamal, Salman Butt, Riaz Afridi, Zahid Saeed, Misbah-ul-Haq, Bazid Khan, Yasir Arafat.

Opener: (Pick 2)
Imran Farhat, Imran Nazir, Salman Butt, Yasir Hameed, Mohammad Hafeez

Middle Order: (Pick 3)
Yasir Hameed, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Yousuf Youhana, Younis Khan, Misbah-ul-Haq, Bazid Khan, Faisal Iqbal, Asim Kamal.

All Rounder: (Pick 2)
Mohammad Hafeez, Yasir Arafat, Abdul Razzaq, Rana Naveed-ul-Hasan, Shoaib Malik

Wicket Keeper: (Pick One)
Kamran Akmal (WK), Moin Khan (WK).

Bowler: (Pick 3)
Riaz Afridi, Zahid Saeed, Danish Kaneria, Rao Iftikhar, Mohammad Sami, Shabbir Ahmed, Umar Gul, Shoaib Akhtar,

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wat is wrong with these blodddy selectors!!!!! y is azhar mehmood time after time ignored. wat more does he need to do to prove himself, he is working so hard for surrey in the frizzell county championship as well as the totesport league. he takes wickets' regularly + bats well for them lower down the order.

razzaq time after time is included in the squad, he has been pathetically bad in both tests + odi's as a BOWLER bar the batting which has improved.

For the past 5/6 months or so he has bowled floaters which the batsmen have creamed all over the park, he isn't even taking wickets regularly. on wat grounds do pcb include him in the squad as a allrounder? from where i'm standing certainly not performnace?

  • i hope danny is given a fair chance in the odi's he has been one of the most promising cricketers of this season for pak, hats off to him!
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[QUOTE]
Originally posted by the game: *
*The Game Responds**:

      *Have you guys even seen Kamran Akmal bat!? Really! I admit that he showed spark with the gloves, but by God, I haven't seen anything as horrible when it comes to batting! Humayun Farhat is a much better choice if you want to pick some one young for the wicket keeping position, although there is no need for that as we have Moin Khan. People, That Is All.*

[/QUOTE]

well said...i was surpised no one else mentioned akmal''s horrible batting in this thread while discussing asia cup team... WK is a very professsional job these days and a WK has to be reasonable with bat too...one of the reasons why aus, india and sa have dominated the international cricket because all of them have world class WK batsmen....that always provide them with an extra slot to fill in with a bowler or a regular all rounder....kamran akmal was simpy horrible with bat against india....may be he is ok for test matches but for one day matches, i wud never put my money on him...........

the idea of having asim kamal behind the wickets really fascinates me.................................if it is possible, it would provide our team's alignment a much-needed tune up and would also fix many other related problems........such as inclusion of azhar mahmood or shahid afridi along with razzaq....though azhar and afridi are already kicked out....or may be inlcuding a extra regualr bowler such rao ifthikhar....