Pakistan's tour of Australia/Australia announce squad (Merged)

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Pakistan drop veteran wicket-keepers Moin, Latif for Australia tour](Yahoo is part of the Yahoo family of brands.)

KARACHI (AFP) - Pakistan selectors dropped experienced wicketkeepers Moin Khan and Rashid Latif from a list of 25 probables announced for the team’s tour of Australia starting next month.

“Kamran Akmal will be the only wicketkeeper on the Australian tour because captain Inzamam-ul Haq is satisfied with his performance,” chief selector Wasim Bari told AFP on Tuesday. “Since we are looking to the future we must try Akmal on this tough tour,” he said.

The final squad of 16 will be announced on November 24.

Pakistan will play three Tests and also feature in a tri-series one-day tournament, involving hosts Australia and the West Indies.

Pakistan will open the tour with a one-day side game on December 7 and then a four-day game from 9-12 December - both at Perth - before playing the first Test at Perth from December 16.

The 33-year-old Moin was dropped after a poor run of form with the bat in Pakistan’s home series against Sri Lanka last month, making way for the 22-year-old Kamran.

Latif has not played since opting out of the Test series against South Africa for personal reasons last year.

Experienced pacer Shabbir Ahmed is listed in the team after fully recovering from a knee operation which forced him out of action for nearly three months.

Opener Yasir Hameed, dropped from last week’s one-off limited overs international against India, is also back in the reckoning.

Three uncapped players – batsman Aamir Bashir, opener Ashar Zaidi and left arm pacer Mohammad Khalil – are also in the probables.

Bari said six promising fast bowlers other than the probables have also been invited to the short camp starting next week and could come into contention.

“Pace bowlers Wasim Khan, Mohammad Irshad, Iftikhar Anjum, Mohammad Asif, Yasir Ali and Abdul Rauf have been performing well at domestic level so they are also given a chance,” said Bari.

**Probables: Inzamam-ul Haq, Salman Butt, Yasir Hameed, Imran Farhat, Taufiq Umer, Shoaib Malik, Yousuf Youhana, Shahid Afridi, Kamran Akmal, Abdul Razzaq, Younis Khan, Danish Kaneria, Shoaib Akhtar, Mohammad Sami, Shabbir Ahmed, Rana Naveedul Hassan, Asim Kamal, Aamir Bashir, Riaz Afridi, Bazid Khan, Faisal Iqbal, Ashar Zaidi, Faisal Athar, Misbahul Haq, Mohammad Khalil.
**

Shabbir Ahmed is back but no Umar Gul. No place for Azhar Mahmood either.

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what sort of injury has Umar Gul been nursing all this time????
itna lamba to shoaib bhee bahir nahin baitha kabhi....

and good to see shabir ahmed being termed "experience"....

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good team :k:
hope they dont drop taufeeq in the final 16

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i hope the should pick Yasir Hameed and Riaz Afridi..

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Thats a very good squad, i wud pick this 16 man squad out of 25..

Inzimam-ul Haq, Salman Butt, Yasir Hameed, Taufeeq Umar, Shoaib Malik, Yousuf Youhana, Kamran Akmal, Younis Khan, Danish Kaneria, Shoaib Akhtar, Mohammad Sami, Shabbir Ahmed, Rana Naveed, Mohammad Khalil, Asim Kamal og Ashar Zaidi (back up opener)

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Only one specialist spinner!! I'm glad Shabbir is back, I think we should leave Sami behind for this tour.

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[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by armughal: *
what sort of injury has Umar Gul been nursing all this time????
itna lamba to shoaib bhee bahir nahin baitha kabhi....

and good to see shabir ahmed being termed "experience"....
[/QUOTE]

he is out for a whole year because of his backbone problem. he still has about 9 mths to go

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**left arm pacer Mohammad Khalil ** , I like the sound of this
guy specially the “Left arm”,This is what Pakistan needs and needs it Urgently,:smooth::k:,perhaps the replacment fo Legendry Wasim Akram,Ameen

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Pakistan has a strange obsession with openers. With butt, hameed, taufeeq and imran you would think we have enough by now! What we need to concentrate on are blooding new bowlers. Fast ones.

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The concern about what happens if Akmal gets injured somehow, is a news to me. Younis Khan can also keep wickets, so we do have a stand-in Wicket Keeper in our squad

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Recall Saleem Elahi, we need him back in the team!

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^ there we go, yet another opener for the team. A buddha tried, tested and failed one too at that.

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[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by skhan: *
Pakistan has a strange obsession with openers. With butt, hameed, taufeeq and imran you would think we have enough by now! What we need to concentrate on are blooding new bowlers. Fast ones.
[/QUOTE]

Unfortunately Imran and Taufeeq couldn't "establish" their positions in the game by proving their worth. Their performances have not been good enough. Its good to go with 4 openers as Salman is a newbie i.e. Salman, Yasir, Taufeeq and Ashar... as Yasir can go 1 down in tests leaving 3 options for 2 opener slots. Taufeeq will most likely sit out ODIs so again 3 options for 2 opener slots for ODIs.

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ooo i hope Muhammed Khalil makes it into final 16 .. he`z a good prospect .. :k: ..

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Dec 2004

Tue 7 Cricket AUS Chairman's XI v PAK @ Lilac Hill Park
Thu 9 - Sun 12 W AUS v PAK @ W.A.C.A. (Perth)

Test 1:
Thu 16 - Mon 20 AUS v PAK @ W.A.C.A. (Perth)

Test 2:
Sun 26 - Thu 30 AUS v PAK @ Melbourne

Jan 2005
Test 3:
Sun 2 - Thu 6 AUS v PAK @ Sydney

Side matches:
Wed 12 Australia A v Pakistan Adelaide Oval
Tue 25 Prime Minister's XI v Pakistan Canberra

Then Pakistan plays the VB series:

Fri 14 AUS v WI @ Melbourne

Sun 16 AUS v PAK @ Hobart

Wed 19 PAK v WI @ Brisbane

Fri 21 AUS v WI @ Brisbane

Sun 23 AUS v PAK @ Sydney

Wed 26 AUS v WI @ Adelaide

Fri 28 PAK v WI @Adelaide

Sun 30 AUS v PAK @ W.A.C.A. (Perth)

Feb 2005 **
Tue 1 **PAK v WI @ W.A.C.A. (Perth)

Fri 4 VB Series 1st final @ Melbourne
Sun 6 VB Series 2nd final @ Sydney
Tue 8 VB Series 3rd final (if req) @ Adelaide

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why mohammad khalil?

i would go for riaz afridi he is more disciplined bowls wicket to wicket n his performed at the big stage and is unlikely to be intimidated.

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[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by desired: *
why mohammad khalil?

i would go for riaz afridi he is more disciplined bowls wicket to wicket n his performed at the big stage and is unlikely to be intimidated.
[/QUOTE]

anything wrong with M Khalil?

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khalail is no way near to be good bowler really sux in my opinion.and all of u would c that if he's taken to assuie for tourn.i would say they should've picked Mohammad Irshaad for khalil and Abdur Rauf for Riaz.

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my squad for aussie

Probables: Inzamam-ul Haq, Salman Butt, Yasir Hameed, Imran Farhat, Taufiq Umer, Shoaib Malik, Yousuf Youhana, Shahid Afridi, Kamran Akmal, Abdul Razzaq, Younis Khan, Danish Kaneria, Shoaib Akhtar, Mohammad Sami, Shabbir Ahmed, Rana Naveedul Hassan, Asim Kamal, Aamir Bashir, Riaz Afridi, Bazid Khan, Faisal Iqbal, Ashar Zaidi, Faisal Athar, Misbahul Haq, Mohammad Khalil.

opener
1) Yasir Hameed
2) Salman Butt / Imran Farhat
3) Taufiq Umer

Middle Order
4) Inzamam-ul Haq
5) Yousuf Youhana
6) Misbahul Haq / Younis Khan
7) Asim Kamal / Faisal Iqbal / Aamir Bashir

8) Kamran Akmal (WK)

All-Rounders
9) Shaoib Malik
10) Abdul Razzaq
11) Shahid Afridi

Bowlers
12) Shabbir Ahmed
13) Mohammad Sami
14) Shoaib Akhtar
15) Danish Kaneria
16)Rana Naveedul Hassan /Mohammad Khalil

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Azhar Mehmood

wat I fail to understand is why doesnt Azhar Mehmood get a chance in the team. He has been performing exceptionally well in England at the county level. Yet when the team was there for the ICC Knock out tournament he was not given a chance to play even though he is probably more familiar with the condition. I know we have 2 good all rounders in Shoaib and Razzaq...but i think its unfair to azhar.
Opinions???