 Pakistan Squad: My verdict
Pakistan squad for PakTel Cup: 1 Yasir Hameed, 2 Salman Butt, 3 Shoaib Malik, 4 Inzamam-ul-Haq (capt), 5 Yousuf Youhana, 6 Younis Khan, 7 Misbah-ul-Haq, 8 Bazid Khan, 9 Abdul Razzaq, 10 Moin Khan (wk), 11 Shahid Afridi, 12 Naved-ul-Hasan, 13 Shoaib Akhtar, 14 Mohammad Sami, 15 Iftikhar Anjum.
My verdict: Pakistan: We've left out Imran Farhat, which I will not argue with since he hasn't done him self any justice, but why Azhar Mahmood? In my first choice eleven I'd rotate between him and Afridi as the second allrounder. But the selectors definitely seem to be following another plan. I can't see why he should have been dropped without even playing a game; I don't even see why he shouldn't have picked earlier in the first place. We could -or rather should- have experimented playing him instead of Younus Khan coming into the Champions Trophy.
Younus Khan's inclusion remains controversial to say the least, his indifferent form has led to many asking him to be dropped. But It is unlikely though IMO that either him, Misbah or Bazid Khan or even the much talked about Rao Iftikhar Anjum will get a chance unless we are looking to rest the first choice players against Zimbabwe, which I do beleive we should. Pressure will be on Moin Khan as he is expected to reproduce the form that led to his recall. It’s anyone's guess if he'll hang around until 2007 so the selectors might well be pondering over grooming Kamran Akmal or Attiquzaman in the near future. I hope he makes a statement in this regard with his performance. |