Mohammad Yousuf gets selected in T20 squad
The http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755 selectors have sprung a surprise by naming Mohammad Yousuf in the 16-man squad to play the ODI and the T20I series against England at the end of the ongoing Test series. Yousuf has for long been tipped as a Test match specialist and has not been a part of the T20I side since playing a T20I in 2006.
Younis Khan, the other senior batsman, who was banned by the PCB, but then had his ban revoked is not a part of the side. Shoaib Malik has also been given the axe after he failed to impress the selectors in the opportunities that he got on the tour of England. Malik has scored 166 runs on the tour so far, in the eight innings that he has batted in.
Pakistan head selector, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Khan-c71319 was upfront about Malik’s exclusion and said that it was the lack of runs that had cost him his place.
Yousuf had been a regular in the ODI side till he was banned by the PCB after the tour of Australia this year. He had played in four of the five ODIs in http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Shahid-Afridi-c2482 had led the side in the fifth game. Afridi will continue to lead the ODI side after he had quit the captaincy of the Test match side abruptly after only one Test.
Amongst the others, there are two newcomers in the side; Azhar Ali and Wahab Riaz. Ali hasn’t played a big innings in the series but has had a couple of important contributions in the series. Riaz, on the other hand, scalped five wickets on his Test debut at Oval against England.
There were three other important selections; Fawad Alam, Mohammad Hafeez and Shoaib Akhtar. Alam is an all-rounder who can bat in the middle-order and can bowl left-arm spin. Hafeez was a part of the Pakistan squad for the ICC World T20 and can bat at the top of the order and bowl off-spin. Akhtar played in the Asia Cup and impressed everyone with his performance, and will continue to lead the bowling attack.
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