LAHORE: Maverick fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar and all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez have a good chance of finding place in the national team for the forthcoming Asia Cup.
Well-informed sources told Dawn on Thursday that though the PCB has doubts over Shoaib Akhtar’s match fitness, it believes that he has the potential to bowl well in the shorter versions of the game — the Twenty20 and 50-over matches.
“Shoaib Akhtar is no more Test cricket material,” a PCB official said on the condition of anonymity. “But he could be utilised in patches. He deserved being given a chance after performing well in the Pentangular Cup in which he claimed 12 wickets to finish as the second-best bowler of the tournament.”
As the PCB is not going to hold any training camp to select the final 15-member team from the already announced 35 probables, Shoaib will have to be cleared by the medical board in order to be considered for selection.
As for Hafeez’s selection, the official said: “Though Hafeez failed miserably in the last World T20, he has good prospects of showing his mettle in the 50-over matches. Thus he will get a chance, despite criticism from some stakeholders.”
“If Hafeez misses this chance, he will be out of the team for ever because PCB Chairman Ijaz Butt has issued instructions to provide maximum chances to any player before discarding him,” the official disclosed.
Meanwhile, another source said that Hafeez was only there in the list of probables to provide competition to banned Shoaib Malik.
“As the PCB has announced that it would review the penalties of all the six players, who appealed against the punishments, Malik may stage a comeback in the team. The PCB has been facing tremendous pressure from certain quarters including some top government personnel to include Malik in the team and Hafeez’s availability for selection would be the best way to counter that pressure,” the source said.
Moreover, the PCB official said that it was most likely that the final 15-member team for the Asia Cup will be announced on June 2. “Head Coach Waqar Younis is scheduled to arrive here on June 1 and the announcement of the team will be made the next day,” the official said.
He further disclosed that the team’s newly-appointed skipper Shahid Afridi was getting no support from the PCB in his campaign to convince prolific batsman Mohammad Yousuf to come out of retirement in order to serve the team in England Tests.The PCB Chairman has not on a single occasion advised Yousuf to withdraw his retirement decision and readily agreed when he wanted to proceed to Canada for a coaching assignment.
Showing posts with label shoaib akhtar. Show all posts
Showing posts with label shoaib akhtar. Show all posts
Friday, May 28, 2010
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Butt stands in way of Akhtar’s selection
April 22nd, 2010 by Ubaid-ur-Rehman Awan
KARACHI: The Rawalpindi Express refuelled its chances of international comeback Wednesday when he demolished Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s team in the Pentangular Cup One Day Tournament’s crucial match by grabbing six scalps on a batting friendly pitch.
On one side, Shoaib Akhtar has started to sew lips of his critics, but on the other people in the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) are still not ready to accept the excellence of the world’s fastest bowler.
Sources told The Sports Encounter Wednesday that the name of Shoaib Akhtar was under consideration of the team management and there were chances that the fast bowler would replace an injured Umar Gul, but the man in charge came in the way of his selection. Yes, Mr. Ijaz Butt denied Shoaib Akhtar an entry into the World T20 squad.
A private television news channel, NewsOne, also quoted its sources as saying, “Shoaib named was inclined by the team management but the Chairman PCB refused to approve his name. Team management believed that in the absence of the experience bowler Gul, Akhtar would have been just the right kind of bowler to lift the attack but considering his anguish disciplinary track record, Chairman PCB had asked the team management to come up with any other name.
The Rawalpindi Express last appeared in the National Colours in a Twenty20 International against Aussies in Dubai while he last featured in a Test match way back in December 2007.
Shoaib Akhtar is unfazed by whatever is happening off the field as his total focus is on gaining fitness and making his way into the national team for the upcoming “Testing” season in England.
Shoaib Akhtar started his comeback well with two wickets for 45 runs in the first match against Punjab Stallions to beat them under unlikely circumstances. If that wasn’t enough, the Rawalpindi Express mauled Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on a batting friendly surface and captured six important wickets for 52 runs.
With reference to chances of Shoaib Akhtar’s inclusion in the national side, Chief Selector PCB, Mohsin Hasan Khan, when contacted, adopted a defensive stance and said that not only Shoaib but every player who will perform in the domestic circuit would be given fair opportunity.
“PCB Chairman’s clean chit is far more important than the player’s performance and fitness”, Mohsin stated.
He further elaborated that after the PCB chief’s recommendation the selection committee would consider the player for selection. Shoaib Akhtar would be called up in the Back-up Camp along with 8-10 other players whom we are keeping a close eye at, he added.
The Back-up Camp would start from May 3 and before that the PCB Selection Committee would meet to finalise the names of the players for the camp, Mohsin Hasan Khan said.
Meanwhile, after devastating Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Wednesday, the world’s fastest bowler told media that he would continue to push for a recall in the national team.
“I’m hoping to make a comeback during the tour of England,” Shoaib, 34, told reporters at National Stadium. “There is plenty of domestic cricket left before our team leaves for England which is why I’m confident of proving my form and fitness,” he stressed.
Shoaib, who has shed a lot of weight and looking very smart, fit and agile in the field, said that he is focussing to play a centric part in Pakistan’s World Cup 2011 campaign next year and would hope to win the title for Pakistan.
http://www.sportsencounter.com/news/cricket/butt-stands-in-way-of-akhtar’s-selection-2976.html
Akhtar name was tipped as Gul's replacement'
Karachi: Pakistan notorious fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar's name was tipped to replace injured Umar Gul for the ICC World Twenty20 but Chairman PCB Ejaz Butt had refused to approve his name.
"Shoaib named was inclined by the team management but the Chairman PCB refused to approve his name," claimed NewsOne TV Channel. "Team management believed in the absence of the experience bowler Gul, Akhtar name was put forward but considering his anguish disciplinary track record, Chairman PCB had asked the team management to come up with any other name," quoted the private news channel as saying by sources.
Gul, who is currently is the most successful bowler in the Twenty20 history, has been suffering from a right shoulder injury while Arafat sustained a calf muscle injury on his left leg. Following the MRI scan, which however revealed that both carrying a grade 1 injuries and needed rest for an indefinite of time and with the current condition which appeared like not 'fully fit' team management has decided to drop the duo.
The PCB however on the recommendation of the National Selection Committee headed by Mohsin Khan has named fast bowler Mohammad Sami and left arm spinner Abdul Rehman to replace the injured Umer Gul and Yasir Arafat for ICC World Twenty20, which was approved by the Chiarman PCB.
Akhtar's last appearance for Pakistan came last year in a Twenty20 International against Australia in Dubai, whereas he played his last Test back in December 2007. He is currently featuring in the Pakistan Domestic Pentangular One Day Cup for Federal Areas Leopards and is very much eager to make the most of the chance in order to launch international comeback.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)