The latest news according to the BBC Teletext service is that both Wasim Akram and Saeed Anwar have made themselves unavailable for the Aussie tour.
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(Perhaps with Wasim absent it will be the ideal opportunity to re-introduce Muhammad Zahid?)
With both Saeed and Akram out, it poses big problems. Also Inzi is not going to play due to injury. Waqar might get the boot. So what will be our 11.
The biggest one is who are going to be the openers, Afridi and Nazir? They will be eaten alive by the Aussies in the first three overs.
:(:(
i agree wit umair with Rashid thing...
he is the mr consistent in the team....
but including moin as batsman purely is not good...
I think Waqar WILL retain the captaincy... and so will saeed and akram
mostly the team will remain same except for a few changes as inzamam is unavailable....
Can anybody confirm about Wasim and Saeed leaving.
Any links?
well
wasim made himself available till the worldcup and i dont see it changing for now...
saeed k masla hai
this news from jang is really bad…
waise kehna to nahin chaheye, lekin phir bhee playing without saeed, wasim and inzi against australia, we can only hope for a low-margin defeat....
a win or even a draw is something too big to hope for.... :(
PCB keeps faith in Waqar for home Tests
Waqar Younis was Sunday retained Pakistan captain for the three-Test home series against Australia to be played at offshore venues of Colombo and Sharjah with the opener starting Oct 3.
The chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), Lt Gen Tauqir Zia, told Dawn from Rawalpindi that although he was concerned and worried with the sudden slump in the team's form, "the board still had faith in Waqar's abilities as captain".
The PCB Saturday left the cricketing fraternity mesmerised when it named eight probables, including former captain Moin Khan, but put Waqar's extension on hold.
The speedster was initially given a term till the back-to-back tournaments in Tangiers, Nairobi and Colombo. Waqar's men are under the hammer following defeats in six matches out of 10, including a no-result against Australia.
"We are retaining Waqar for the Australian series and would continue to monitor his performance as well as of his team. Naturally, his team will be now under a closer watch since he is expected to motivate the boys and try to put the team back on winning track," the PCB chairman said.
Pakistan lost the home series 1-0 to Australia in 1998-99 and then suffered a 3-0 whitewash when they made the return tour in 1999-2000.
Waqar's own performance as captain has been splendid and his success rate in the 10 Tests has been 80 per cent. But all might count for nothing if his team continues its decline.
"Moin has been recalled chiefly because we have been informed by the team management that Rashid Latif also wanted a break from international cricket," the General said.
Rashid, whose career has been dogged with injuries besides other reasons, has done excellently since his return last May.
Tauqir said Moin has been told to play in the two four-day Tests' against Sri LankaA' starting Tuesday. He said that it was being done to help the wicket-keeper acquire the much needed match practice.
"Moin has not played any competitive cricket since the conclusion of the last season. It is, therefore, essential for him to play in those matches to get in his grooves," Tauqir said.
Tauqir said the team management also conveyed that besides Rashid, Wasim Akram, Inzamam-ul-Haq and Saeed Anwar had expressed their unavailability for the series against Australia.
As regards Wasim, Tauqir said the left-armer now wanted to concentrate on one-day cricket. The man with nearly 900 international wickets has already announced that he would retire after next year's World Cup in South Africa.
"Saeed wanted time to regroup himself and sort out his problems while Inzamam has a heel injury that might require more time to heal than expected," Tauqir said.
Tauqir, who sounded dejected and upset when asked to comment on the performance of the team, said he was perplexed and disappointed.
"It remains a mystery to me as to what transpired that reduced this team to whipping boys of international cricket. I mean, everything looked straightforward and spot-on until these three tournaments.
"I have talked to everyone associated with the team in one respect or the other and I have received different stories and versions. That's precisely why, I have asked Mudassar Nazar to come over so that I can know the facts from the horse's mouth," Tauqir said.
But the PCB chairman minced no words in blaming the coach and the physiotherapist trainer.
"Mudassar was billed as Master Strategist by a former captain of repute. But I am sorry to say that I found no team strategy or planning in the three tournaments. Now I want to know (from him) whether the players were not cooperating with him or if he has failed to enforce his authority.
"But there is no denying the fact that if the performance of the team is poor, then the coach is equally responsible," he explained.
Asked if there was a possibility of replacing Mudassar with a foreign coach, most likely Richard Pybus, Tauqir said diplomatically that if the coach had failed to chalk out a winning strategy and if the players were also not happy with him, then probably he will have to go.
"Mudassar is expected to meet me Tuesday if not Monday evening. I don't want to jump to guns and would instead prefer to wait for the coach and manager's reports before deciding what type of changes were the need of the hour.
"But I must admit here that as a patriotic Pakistani who like others want to see the team win, I am bitterly disappointed and upset. I just can't explain what I am going through," he said.
But Tauqir defended manager Yawar Saeed, saying: "I think the manager's role has been blown out of proportion. But I have my options open."
There were rumours here that along with Mudassar, the PCB had also called Waqar Younis. Abdul Razzaq, it was being said, was also accompanying him that now leaves several questions unanswered.
The PCB is facing a public outcry over the performance of the team with the followers of the game calling for heads to roll. This public pressure has left the PCB in a catch-22 situation. But so far the PCB appears to have played its cards well by retaining Waqar as captain. As regards changes in the team, the four players have made it easy for the PCB selectors to take decisions though one regrets the withdrawal, if true, of Rashid Latif.
thats a pity
no wasim no rashid..
i think rashid is being stupid by taking a break at this time...
what do you think??
I hope he doesnt take a break
well no wasim no saeed...
thats bad isnt it?
Take a break ?
Yeah right! 
Thats what PCB wants us to hear, we all know Rashid Latif is kicked out regradless of being the most consistent performer for the past year.
No offense to Moin, but I can undertsand if they want to bring in Moin for the captaincy but Waqar has been retained as the captain so whats the use.
We all know Latif is the better keeper.
I don’t know where our management is going with this. 
well maybe its true..
coz selectors are not blind and they can see rashid's performance...
maybe he Really wants a break
Lets hop he reconsiders...
ok, lets now start dreaming of the WC2007....
with the team in such a manaement, i am sure pak wont win even a single match for atleast a year :(
In the forthcoming Pakistan vs Australia Three Test Series one must take a balanced view.
If people go through old record then they will find that for a pretty long period in the Sixties and Seventies the West Indies Cricket Team - I think under the Captaincy of Clive Lloyd - ruled the roost and were unbeatable.
Similarly today we find that the Australian has been able to get the best possible result. I cannot say if the present day Australians are as good as Clive Lloyd's West Indies Team, but, then they are pretty much nearly the best Cricket Team.
I cannot predict a result, but, if Pakistan loses this Series then I for one will not berate or criticise the Pakistani Team.
The Pakistani Team Supporters must realize that it does not matter who wins or who loses, all it matters is that the game is played.
Yes, the Pakistani Team will be at a mental disadvantage in the sense that their HOME SERIES is being played outside Pakistan. However, the two Tests being played in Sharjah will be as close to home as possible and it is truly said that Sharjah is a Second Home to the Pakistani Team.
So let us wait and see the actual Result.
I am sure that many rabid detractors of the Pakistani Team will be pleasently surprised.
well
its officla now
mudassar has been sacked....
Pybus will be the coach
lets see if its good for the team or not!!
IUts gopod Rashid is playing or keen to play in the series..
I am looking forward to this 3 test series our top and experienced players will be out and the team will have mostly youngsters let see how they perfrom. I am sure they will give hard time to Aussies.
well
youhana is out as well.....
luck is not on our side..
but i think saeed will play .. so will imran nazir
Saeed
Imran Nazir
Younis khan
Misbah
Faisal Iqbal
Shahid Afridi/Danish/Sami
Abdul Razzaq
Rashid
Waqar
Saqlain
Shoaib
With both Inzi and Youhanna out for the series, our middle order is lacking in experience and more importantly, for someone to settle down and shape the innings.
On the bright side, since the expectations are so low now, anything our team will do, can't be any worse.
Since Youhana is back in team I think Youhana and Misbah can play the role of shaping the inning. I am sure Misbah will give his 100% and I believe the guy has touch and ability to perform. :k:
Youhana is no boubt a class ofcourse you expect the guy to do big score but I think Misbah will come out with big scores in this 3 test series.
Just today I read that Youhanna is declared unfit for Aussie tour due to shoulder injury.
Misbah, a nice player no doubt, is still very green. And Aussie wickets are quite bouncy, where you either need some experience or else an experienced person guiding you in the middle of the ground.
[QUOTE]
Pakistan are already without vice-captain Inzamam-ul-Haq, who is suffering a heel injury. And veterans Wasim Akram, Saeed Anwar and Rashid Latif have all been left out of the squad to face Steve Waugh's men.
Courtesy: BBC
[/QUOTE]
I don't understand why have the selectors kicked Saeed out. He was getting his form back, and he's begging for a place in the team. Seeing his past experience and keeping in mind that the team doesn't have any experienced batsman, Saeed must be given a chance in the team for this test series.