Pakistan Cricket’s ODI squad for England
The presence of Shoaib Malik is nowhere to be seen in the current squad. http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Hyderabad-c792. The all-rounder had a place in the test squad but was dropped for the third at The Oval.
The Pakistan Cricket Team will be playing ODIs against England starting on the 5th of September till 22nd.
According to the chief selector, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Mohsin-c77587 Khan, the 16 man team requires players which are a hundred percent fit. Further, these players also need to be cleared by the board. According to Khan, Younis is seen lacking in these areas.
Younis http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Shahid-Afridi-c2482, has claimed to discuss Younis’s selection twice with the board.
According to the latest reports the squad has been carefully knitted so that victory can be achieved.
With the ban removed, a better performance was expected from Shoaib Malik. He scored a total of only 53 runs in the two Tests against England. Malik has played 192 ODIs and 32 tests. His recent performances disappointed many fans. In a total of 11 ODIs Malik only managed an average of 30.
The return of limited-over regulars is also seen. They were already seen playing against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Australia-c746. The ODI specialists included are Shoaib Akhtar, Abdul Razzaq, Shahzaib Hassan and Fawad Alam.
The team is set to play 5 ODIs and 2 T20s. The ODI and T20 series will be taking place after the fourth test at Lords. Wahab Riaz, after the impressive performance at The Oval, has also been included in the squad.
According to the captain, Shahid Khan Afridi, this is a good opportunity to evaluate the team before the 2011 World Cup. The thirty-year old skipper hopes the series against England will help prepare them for a victorious World Cup campaign.
The backing up from Khan has seemed to work for Muhammad Yousuf. Based on his earlier performance in the Test against England, he has been included in the team. Yousuf currently has 9624 runs in ODIs and 198 in T20. The 50-over game certainly relies on players like him but he will be without his middle order ally, Younis Khan.
The twenty and twenty-eight years old combo of Akmal brothers will also be appearing against England. There seems to be no disbelief regarding Kamran’s batting. His cutting and pulling make him a player worth an appearance. Of course, the four dropped catches in the Test match at Sydney still haunt his repute. The younger brother of the wicket keeper stands with a 134.44 strike rate in T20s.
Format specialists are still questioned. Players reserved for T20 and Tests need to be defined well. According to the critics, Azhar Ali in T20 and Azhar Ali in ODI are two different things. This patient player stood out against Bollinger, Mckay and Krejza with a 70. He played in the middle order against England currently. His T20 average is 18.80 with 188 runs in total.
The role of Shoaib Malik in the team has never been precise. He could act as a brutal force in T20. But his earlier performances proved otherwise.
Afridi states that he will be carefully mustering up a 20-25 squad. This squad will be due to play England, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/New-Zealand-c754. The current decision by the board seems to be a positive one. A certain amount of mix between the old and the young provides a good blend of experience and youth. The reports suggest that the Pakistani squad has been selected after careful consideration from the Coach, captain and PCB .
Captain: Shahid Khan Afridi
The squad: Kamran Akmal behind the wickets, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Shahzaib-Hasan-c2488, Shoaib Akhtar, Mohammad Hafeez, Mohammad Yousuf, Wahab Riaz, Azhar Ali, Umar Akmal, Mohammad Asif, Fawad Alam, Mohammad Amir, Salman Butt, Umar Gul, Saeed Ajmal, Abdul Razzaq,.
Standby: Abdur Rehman, Sarfraz Ahmed, Mohammad Irfan, Asad Shafiq.
Coach: Waqar Younis
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