Squads for Twenty 20 World Cup

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Pakistan

Akhtar returns after proving fitness
Yousuf and Razzaq omitted from Twenty20

Mohammad Yousuf and Abdul Razzaq have been omitted from the 15-man squad for the Twenty20 World Championship in South Africa.

Misbah-ul-Haq, back in the side after three years in the wilderness, and Fawad Alam, the talented young allrounder, have been chosen as replacements while left-arm spinner Abdul Rehman, who took a hat-trick in the last of the practice matches in Karachi, also makes a comeback.

“Mohammad Yousuf is a world-class player. However, we have decided to give him a break because we want him fit and fresh for the following series and include some new faces for the South Africa tour,” Salahuddin Ahmed, chief selector, said.

Yousuf was not disappointed at being left out of the team and was confident that it would not affect his long-term future. “Selection was in God’s hands and I can’t force myself into the team.” When asked if he felt he could perform in this format of the game, Yousuf said: “You will have to ask the selectors”.

While Misbah has not represented Pakistan for over three years, his record in the shortest version of the game, including an unbeaten century, impressed the selectors. Alam, the left-arm all-rounder, also had a phenomenal domestic Twenty20 tournament last year that included a half- century and a five-wicket haul in the final.

Shoaib Akhtar, who left the field during one of the practice matches due to dehydration and missed the following matches due to a neck strain, has been included in the lineup. “I can assure you that Shoaib Akhtar has recovered from the neck strain and is now fully fit.”

The other notable absentees include Mohammad Sami and Yasir Hameed. While Sami’s performance has improved of late, Yasir Arafat, who has had an impressive season with Kent, was preferred. “We have noted Sami’s performance recently and decided to omit him and bring in Yasir Arafat, the allrounder, in the team at the back of his impressive performance for Kent.”
Pakistan kick off their campaign against Scotland on September 13.

Squad
Shoaib Malik (capt)
Younis Khan
Imran Nazir
Salman Butt
Mohammad Asif
Shoaib Akthar
Kamran Akmal
Mohammad Hafeez
Umar Gul
Shahid Afridi
Iftikhar Anjum
Fawad Alam
Abdur Rehman
Yasir Arafat
Misbah-ul-Haq

What is Uncle Misbah ul haq doing in this squad :konfused:
PCB once again on dope :smack:

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Re: Squads for Twenty 20 World Cup

India

Dhoni to lead Indian squad in South Africa

Mahendra Singh Dhoni has been named captain of India's Twenty20 squad for the World Championship to be held in South Africa in September. This came as no surprise since Dhoni was the most likely man to take over the reins after Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly opted out of the tournament. Yuvraj Singh will be Dhoni's deputy.

Squad:
Mahendra Singh Dhoni (capt)
Yuvraj Singh
Virender Sehwag
Harbhajan Singh
Ajit Agarkar
Dinesh Karthik
Gautam Gambhir
Robin Uthappa
Joginder Sharma
Yusuf Pathan
Piyush Chawla
Sreesanth
Irfan Pathan
RP Singh
Rohit Sharma

Aaj Kiss Baat Par Gussa Aaya ??????
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Re: Squads for Twenty 20 World Cup

I can’t believe that Razzaq has been left out of the 20/20 squad. The man is made for such games. :smack:

Very disappointing.

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Re: Squads for Twenty 20 World Cup

aap ko kuch nahin maloom Ehsan Bhai. The master blaster Misbah ul Haq has replaced him.

Aaj Kiss Baat Par Gussa Aaya ??????
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Re: Squads for Twenty 20 World Cup

Araaafat in, Good news for Pak:D

Even tough Sami bowled well in T20 but keeping him out is not abad option as it gives him message that he needs to keep on working hard and now has to EARN his spot!

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Re: Squads for Twenty 20 World Cup

They dropped Yousuf :smack:

Osman Samiuddin said it all once again… :k:

======================================================
Logic has gone for a six
Osman Samiuddin

August 7, 2007

Nothing illustrates more lucidly the mysterious, whimsical workings of Pakistan selection committees than the decision not to select Mohammad Yousuf in the 15-man squad for the Twenty20 World Championship in South Africa.

**They tried, bless 'em, to justify the decision to drop him but they came up empty. **Yousuf was, in the words today of Salahuddin Ahmed, the chief selector, “a world-class player, no two ways about it.” He is also currently Pakistan’s best batsman and, as Ricky Ponting proves every day, a good batsman is a good batsman is a good batsman, be it over five days, 50 overs or 20. Yet, Yousuf did not make it into a 15-man squad with only two specialist middle-order batsmen.

First the selectors claimed they wanted to give him a rest, disregarding that he, unlike a number of senior players globally, wanted no such thing. They then admitted they wanted - no, needed - “one batsman who can stay at the wicket, because, whether it is a Test, an ODI or a 20-over game, you have to have one who can stick around and build.”

**From this they took a not inconsiderable leap and concluded - on what basis is still not clear - that Misbah-ul-Haq (ostensibly the replacement) might do the job better than Yousuf has been doing over the last year. Perhaps Misbah’s impressive domestic Twenty20 average (just under 50) got him the nod over a man with over 14,000 international runs, 35 international hundreds and just off a patch so purple, popstar Prince would have been jealous.
**

No? Okay, then try this one: “We are trying out new and fresh names.” At 33, Misbah is a few months older than Yousuf, so even if you give him more benefit than doubt (as noted commentator Omar Kureishi used to say of dodgy decisions), his best years are likely already lost to Pakistan. He last played an international for Pakistan nearly three years ago; after averaging 13 from five Tests and 33 from 13 ODIs, there was a reason he was not selected again. In short, he is as fresh as last month’s pizza.

Were the selectors really serious about younger legs, a new spirit and all that, then any of Khurram Manzoor, Khalid Latif or Shahid Yousuf - all of whom impressed in spurts during the practice matches - made more sensible replacements. Even if they had not impressed, at least the selectors could have shielded themselves behind the mantra of giving youth its day.

Assurances obviously were given for his future. “This is not the end of his career, let me assure everyone,” said Salahuddin. “We haven’t treated him with any disrespect by dropping him and he is a great asset to the Pakistan team. It shouldn’t be made into an issue of pride, because we haven’t dropped him as such,”

True enough, his future in not in any serious doubt. But given that Yousuf was naturally unhappy at his omission - his weak proclamations otherwise notwithstanding - can Pakistan really afford to treat him this shabbily, especially given that Inzamam might no longer be on the scene either soon enough? Is Pakistan really blessed with that much batting talent?

No other decision ruffled as many feathers as this one. Not even, sadly it must be said, the dropping of Abdul Razzaq. At his best, Twenty20 cricket is to Razzaq what water is to fish. A few overs of brisk, constricting and attacking medium-pace and a solid lower-order guarantee of boundaries; as Kamran Abbasi notes in this post Razzaq’s decline has meant what was once unthinkable is now reality.

Ultimately, though, in the absence of any solid logic, it is Yousuf’s exclusion that bathes in innuendo, reporters winking, nudging and whispering, as no doubt will many followers. Here was further proof, some muttered, that the board was bent on cleansing the team of the religiosity it had been engulfed in.

No, others countered, it was aimed solely at diluting the hold of Inzamam-ul-Haq on this team, thus giving Shoaib Malik a greater chance to mould his own side. Wait a minute, some said, Misbah’s was a pressure inclusion, instigated by the board and one not all selectors agreed to. Pakistanis love a conspiracy theory, it was noted once in The Economist. Probably, it concluded, because they have an uncanny way of coming true in Pakistan.

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Re: Squads for Twenty 20 World Cup

misbah is even few months older then Yusuf...
arfat over razler... strange very strange!

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Re: Squads for Twenty 20 World Cup

Maybe because Misbah and Arafat are far supeior fielders to Razzaq and Yousuf?

Anyway, I think it's a good idea. Let Yousuf rest before the real games, and give Razzaq a kick up his ass.

~~♥♥~~ Virgo Girl ~~♥♥~~
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Re: Squads for Twenty 20 World Cup

And I thought Indian selectors are dumb.

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Re: Squads for Twenty 20 World Cup

they both "consult" each other on selection matters i guess :)

or may be PCB selects Indian team and BCCI selects Pakistani team :)

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Re: Squads for Twenty 20 World Cup

:rotfl:

Define "chhamak chhalo"
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Re: Squads for Twenty 20 World Cup

LOLOL:D:D:D

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Re: Squads for Twenty 20 World Cup

Totally inexplicable. How could be omit our premiere batsman. The selectors cannot show any stats to justify this stupid selection process. Not a single batsman in the side comes close to what MoYo has achieved in his career and he's been in superb form over the last year and a half. I was definitely hoping to see him in the side.

I know MoYo and Razi lack in fielding prowess but we desi's are known to create hype about different issues to use it to our advantage. We are certainly taking fresh legs and better fielders there but now who is going to get you the targets and post huge totals on the board. We definitely needed more stability in our batting in shape of MoYo but we keep digging holes for ourselves.

:(

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Re: Squads for Twenty 20 World Cup

Any set of legs would be fresher than Inzi's and I guess that the current defnition of fresh legs which PCB is using these days.

No wonder Misbah ul Haq replaced inzi and earned a central contract in his Burhapa and now is replacing players like Yousuf and Razzaq in Twenty 20.

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Re: Squads for Twenty 20 World Cup

BBC

… when asked by reporters “if Misbah is the perfect choice for 20/20” chief selector replied “…age is not the barrier for batsman (DC:then why not Yousuf?) and we need a batsman who can stay at the wicket (DC:then for heaven sake once again why not Yousuf?)”

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Re: Squads for Twenty 20 World Cup

:frusty: :frusty:

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Re: Squads for Twenty 20 World Cup

^This is PCB:

:bobo: hum to wohi karayn gai jo hum chahayn :gadha:

This is us:

:help:

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Re: Squads for Twenty 20 World Cup

What a joke our selection committee is? No Yousuf and more surprisingly no Razzaq. And I am just marvelling at the selector’s logic for picking Misbah-ul-Haq over Yousuf…OK Misbah may have done well in our third-rate domestic twenty-20 competition but Yousuf’s impressive one-day record of 8,000+ ODI runs at 41.02 and a very decent and respectable SR of 74.41 (cf. Inzi 74.24) is matched by only a few batsmen. Not many batsmen in one-day history average 40+ with a SR of 70+ after scoring 8,000+ runs.
http://content-www.cricinfo.com/ci/content/records/83548.html](http://content-www.cricinfo.com/ci/content/records/83548.html)
You can almost score as quickly by slogging as by placing the ball into gaps and hitting the odd boundary or two (and Yousuf is more than capable of hitting sixes when it matters. If anything it’s Younis who usu. has trouble clearing the fence and gets caught in the deep while trying to hit a six !). Misbah is a tried and tested failure, who at 33 is a few months older than Yousuf…so much for building for the future. If our chances in the Twenty-20 competition were nil before the squad was announced now (with the omission of Razzaq and Yousuf) they are minus infinity. Sorry but I can’t see this team doing well and I would be really surprised if they make it past the QF stage. Australia are still the team to beat and I expect them to win it.

Osman Samiuddin quite rightly lambasts our PCB buffoons
http://content-www.cricinfo.com/twenty20wc/content/current/story/305869.html](http://content-www.cricinfo.com/twenty20wc/content/current/story/305869.html)
Nothing illustrates more lucidly the mysterious, whimsical workings of Pakistan selection committees than the decision not to select Mohammad Yousuf in the 15-man squad for the Twenty20 World Championship in South Africa.
They tried, bless 'em, to justify the decision to drop him but they came up empty. Yousuf was, in the words today of Salahuddin Ahmed, the chief selector, “a world-class player, no two ways about it.” He is also currently Pakistan’s best batsman and, as Ricky Ponting proves every day, **a good batsman is a good batsman is a good batsman, be it over five days, 50 overs or 20. **Yet, Yousuf did not make it into a 15-man squad with only two specialist middle-order batsmen.
First the selectors claimed they wanted to give him a rest, disregarding that he, unlike a number of senior players globally, wanted no such thing. They then admitted they wanted - no, needed - “one batsman who can stay at the wicket, because, whether it is a Test, an ODI or a 20-over game, you have to have one who can stick around and build.”
From this they took a not inconsiderable leap and concluded - on what basis is still not clear - that Misbah-ul-Haq (ostensibly the replacement) might do the job better than Yousuf has been doing over the last year. Perhaps Misbah’s impressive domestic Twenty20 average (just under 50) got him the nod over a man with over 14,000 international runs, 35 international hundreds and just off a patch so purple, popstar Prince would have been jealous.
No? Okay, then try this one: “We are trying out new and fresh names.” At 33, Misbah is a few months older than Yousuf, so even if you give him more benefit than doubt (as noted commentator Omar Kureishi used to say of dodgy decisions), his best years are likely already lost to Pakistan. He last played an international for Pakistan nearly three years ago; after averaging 13 from five Tests and 33 from 13 ODIs, there was a reason he was not selected again. In short, he is as fresh as last month’s pizza.
Were the selectors really serious about younger legs, a new spirit and all that, then any of Khurram Manzoor, Khalid Latif or Shahid Yousuf - all of whom impressed in spurts during the practice matches - made more sensible replacements. Even if they had not impressed, at least the selectors could have shielded themselves behind the mantra of giving youth its day.
Assurances obviously were given for his future. “This is not the end of his career, let me assure everyone,” said Salahuddin. “We haven’t treated him with any disrespect by dropping him and he is a great asset to the Pakistan team. It shouldn’t be made into an issue of pride, because we haven’t dropped him as such,”
True enough, his future in not in any serious doubt. But given that Yousuf was naturally unhappy at his omission - his weak proclamations otherwise notwithstanding - can Pakistan really afford to treat him this shabbily, especially given that Inzamam might no longer be on the scene either soon enough? Is Pakistan really blessed with that much batting talent?

No other decision ruffled as many feathers as this one. Not even, sadly it must be said, the dropping of Abdul Razzaq. At his best, Twenty20 cricket is to Razzaq what water is to fish. A few overs of brisk, constricting and attacking medium-pace and a solid lower-order guarantee of boundaries; as Kamran Abbasi notes in this post Razzaq’s decline has meant what was once unthinkable is now reality.
Ultimately, though, in the absence of any solid logic, it is Yousuf’s exclusion that bathes in innuendo, reporters winking, nudging and whispering, as no doubt will many followers. Here was further proof, some muttered, that the board was bent on cleansing the team of the religiosity it had been engulfed in.
No, others countered, it was aimed solely at diluting the hold of Inzamam-ul-Haq on this team, thus giving Shoaib Malik a greater chance to mould his own side. Wait a minute, some said, Misbah’s was a pressure inclusion, instigated by the board and one not all selectors agreed to. Pakistanis love a conspiracy theory, it was noted once in The Economist. Probably, it concluded, because they have an uncanny way of coming true in Pakistan.

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Re: Squads for Twenty 20 World Cup

Pretty balanced squad I would say. While I was surprised to hear about Razzaq's ommision (discussed in a seperate thread) I actually dont think Yousaf's exclusion should come as a big shock. He is lucky this is happening in 20-20's and not during a test or ODI series as that would have bad for both him as well as Pakistan cricket team. But the message sent by the selectors is pretty clear, shape up or face the axe. As Osman Samiuddin rightly pointed out **At his best, Twenty20 cricket is to Razzaq what water is to fish. **But his bowling has been pedistrian at best of late and we havent seen a whole lot of fireworks as well for some time now.

Osman Samiuddin was wrong in giving the example of Ponting when discussing Yousaf's exclusion though. Never mind the fact that after his record breaking year in tests Yousaf still couldnt pass him in ICC rankings. IMO not only is Ponting a better batsman than not just Yousaf but almost everyone in world cricket he is much more destructive than Yousaf and he is also a lot more than just a great batsman. He is the captain of the side and one of the best fielders in world cricket while it wont be too far from the truth if one calls Yousaf one of the worst fielders in world cricket. Yousaf on the field is a liability, Ponting on the other hand is an asset. We try to hide him in the field, if it's a packed off side field and the bowler is bowling an off stump line we place him somewhere on the leg side. If we are going to be world beaters then we need people who put 110 % when they are on the field. B atting aline isnt enough if you're gonna be a bumb on the field. Same holds true for Razzaq, he has an added advantage, atleast on paper, of bowling but as a fielder we can do without him just as well as we can with him. Players need to change their attitudes and start looking to improve all aspects of their games. Otherwise the wish to overcome the Aussies will remain just that, a wish.

Has anyone done this before?
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Re: Squads for Twenty 20 World Cup

We have hitters not batsmen. I do not think this batting lineup will stay on the wicket for 20 overs. Evidence is quite clear in the past. I am surprised they picked Arafat or Iftikhar over Sami.