Pakistan Squad Announced for Sri Lanka Tour

[PakPassionate]

I just saw on GEO NEWS.....team announced for SL tour

Afridi told selector his unavailability for SL tour...

Yousuf, khurram manzoor, kaneria, Abdul rauf, Faisal iqbal all are in the squad..... MORE COMING SOON

[Savak]

What? Why did Afridi pull out?

And what the hell are Kaneria, Faisal Iqbal and Rauf doing there. Rauf will get murdered in Sri Lanka, we need bowlers with more pace.

[PakPassionate]

What? Why did Afridi pull out?

And what the hell are Kaneria, Faisal Iqbal and Rauf doing there. Rauf will get murdered in Sri Lanka, we need bowlers with more pace.
Dont know why Afridi pull out...maybe he is going for Umra :)

[IAJ]

Well Afridi got a yorker from Malinga straight on his ancle. That can be the only reason for him pulling out.

[ascher]

The team has been announced, yousuf & razzaq are part of the team while sohail tanveer, shahzeb hassan, ahmad shahzab go out along with shahid afridi who would be unavailable for the tour due to private matters.

[Savak]

Sohail Tanvir axing good decision

Shahzaib Hassan- not test material yet, should be in the plans for T-20 and tests

Ahmed Shahzad- not sure

Afridi- very unfortunate, i was actually hoping he would be our primary spinner in place of that joker and waste Kaneria.

[Jannat]

so normal services resume from now on i guess..

[asian_rulez]

what is the full squad then?

[Muddaser]

Mohammad Aamer selected?

[Bublu Bhuyan]

Just hope rain doesn't spoil the fun.

[pakcricketfan]

oh..why did Afridi pull out???? :(
any news on Fawad?

[Savak]

Squad: Younis Khan (capt), Salman Butt, Khurram Manzoor, Mohammad Yousuf, Misbah-ul-Haq, Shoaib Malik, Kamran Akmal (wk), Umar Gul, Saeed Ajmal, Mohammad Aamer, Danish Kaneria, Abdul Razzaq, Abdur Rauf, Fawad Alam, Faisal Iqbal.

Comment: Cant understand why Rauf, Iqbal were picked, God Kaneria cant we move on from him as well. Akhtar's career is most definately over. Afridi pulled out for a private reason.

[asian_rulez]

fawad still there get in

[cricketpassion]

Dont know why Afridi pull out...maybe he is going for Umra :)

that will be nice if he goes to umra and come back and join the team for odi and t20 :)

[cricketpassion]

Squad: Younis Khan (capt), Salman Butt, Khurram Manzoor, Mohammad Yousuf, Misbah-ul-Haq, Shoaib Malik, Kamran Akmal (wk), Umar Gul, Saeed Ajmal, Mohammad Aamer, Danish Kaneria, Abdul Razzaq, Abdur Rauf, Fawad Alam, Faisal Iqbal.

Comment: Cant understand why Rauf, Iqbal were picked, God Kaneria cant we move on from him as well. Akhtar's career is most definately over. Afridi pulled out for a private reason.

Yousuf is back after making some money

[chill79]

Mohammad Yousuf has returned to the Pakistan Test team hardly a month after cutting ties with the unofficial ICL, and Abdul Razzaq has also been included in a 15-man squad for the tour to Sri Lanka which starts in late June.

Razzaq became the first former ICL player to return to international cricket after being banned when he joined Pakistan's Twenty20 squad in England recently, but this is a dramatic turnaround for Yousuf. Yousuf had signed up with the ICL in 2007 but was lured out of the contract by the PCB administration of the day. However, legal wrangles denied him an IPL contract in 2008 and he rejoined the ICL in November.

Squad: Younis Khan (capt), Salman Butt, Khurram Manzoor, Mohammad Yousuf, Misbah-ul-Haq, Shoaib Malik, Kamran Akmal (wk), Umar Gul, Saeed Ajmal, Mohammad Aamer, Danish Kaneria, Abdul Razzaq, Abdur Rauf, Fawad Alam, Faisal Iqbal.

[pakcricketfan]

Squad: Younis Khan (capt), Salman Butt, Khurram Manzoor, Mohammad Yousuf, Misbah-ul-Haq, Shoaib Malik, Kamran Akmal (wk), Umar Gul, Saeed Ajmal, Mohammad Aamer, Danish Kaneria, Abdul Razzaq, Abdur Rauf, Fawad Alam, Faisal Iqbal.

Comment: Cant understand why Rauf, Iqbal were picked, God Kaneria cant we move on from him as well. Akhtar's career is most definately over. Afridi pulled out for a private reason.


Only 2 specialist openers.. :13: Good to see them persist with Manzoor!
and why the hell does Bhanja gets selected everytime??!! :pissed: :pissed:
and no Talha...they dropped him after one match.. :(
Aamer and Ajmal deserved a test call up after their performance in this tournament..

[chill79]

Yikes, Danish Kaneria........... NOooooooooooooooooo......... Not Again

[pakcricketfan]

We'll miss Boom Boom in this series..

[muhammad saad]

Decent selection ,I was expecting alot more blunder from Bari.

[Free Hit]

khurram
butt
younis
yousuf
misbah
malik
akmal
razzaq
gul
aamer
ajmal/kaneria

so batting is up to mark, concerns about bowling but hopefully aamir gul razzaq will lift us up if needed.

[Amjid Javed]

Mohammad Yousuf has returned to the Pakistan Test team hardly a month after cutting ties with the unofficial ICL, and Abdul Razzaq has also been included in a 15-man squad for the tour to Sri Lanka which starts in late June.

Razzaq became the first former ICL player to return to international cricket after being banned when he joined Pakistan's Twenty20 squad in England recently, but this is a dramatic turnaround for Yousuf. Yousuf had signed up with the ICL in 2007 but was lured out of the contract by the PCB administration of the day. However, legal wrangles denied him an IPL contract in 2008 and he rejoined the ICL in November.

Squad: Younis Khan (capt), Salman Butt, Khurram Manzoor, Mohammad Yousuf, Misbah-ul-Haq, Shoaib Malik, Kamran Akmal (wk), Umar Gul, Saeed Ajmal, Mohammad Aamer, Danish Kaneria, Abdul Razzaq, Abdur Rauf, Fawad Alam, Faisal Iqbal.

Decent squad. I hope Aamer makes his test debut in this series. I wish Kaneria and Iqbal would be dropped!

[Amjid Javed]

I guess some changes will be made for ODIS and T20 match?

[NavSheikh786]

My Team for Test Series

Salman Butt
Khurram Manzoor
Younis Khan (C)
Mohammad Yousuf
Misbah-ul-Haq
Shoaib Malik
Abdul Razzaq
Kamran Akmal (wk)
Umar Gul
Mohammad Aamer
Saeed Ajmal

[cricketpassion]

why no ahmed shahzad ? he would be better player in test than t20.

[pakcricketfan]

Decent selection ,I was expecting alot more blunder from Bari.

same here... Bari has exceeded our expectations.. :D :D

[haroonrasheed320]

Mohammad Yousuf has returned to the Pakistan Test team hardly a month after cutting ties with the unofficial ICL, and Abdul Razzaq has also been included in a 15-man squad for the tour to Sri Lanka which starts in late June.

Yousuf had signed up with the ICL in 2007 but was lured out of the contract by the PCB administration of the day. However, legal wrangles denied him an IPL contract in 2008 and he rejoined the ICL in November. That virtually ended his career with Pakistan, but at the end of May the ICL released Yousuf from his contract which meant he could return to official cricket.

Razzaq became the first former ICL player to return to international cricket after being banned when he joined Pakistan's Twenty20 squad in England recently.

Mohammad Aamer, the left-arm fast bowler, was initially included in the squad for the Bangladesh tour which was postponed. After a very strong showing in his maiden domestic season, taking 56 first-class wickets in ten games for Rawalpindi, he was given a chance at the ICC World Twenty20 and his success has earned him a place in the Test side. Abdur Rauf, a right-arm fast-medium bowler, has been included in the squad. He has played four ODIs and one Twenty20 in 2008.

Saeed Ajmal, the offspinner, has been included alongside Danish Kaneria. Akmal has yet to play Test cricket but has was successful in the World Twenty20 with 12 wickets at 13.58. The opener Khurram Manzoor, who has played two Tests, has been recalled after being overlooked for the Bangladesh tour. No back-up wicketkeeper to Kamran Akmal has been named.

The PCB said Shahid Afridi had requested for 15 days rest and will join the team for the ODIs in Sri Lanka. Pakistan will play three Tests, five ODIs and a Twenty20. The tour begins with a three-day warm-up match in Colombo on June 29.

Squad: Younis Khan (capt), Salman Butt, Khurram Manzoor, Mohammad Yousuf, Misbah-ul-Haq, Shoaib Malik, Kamran Akmal (wk), Umar Gul, Saeed Ajmal, Mohammad Aamer, Danish Kaneria, Abdul Razzaq, Abdur Rauf, Fawad Alam, Faisal Iqbal.

http://www.cricinfo.com/slvpak2009/content/current/story/410163.html

[Geordie Ahmed]

Faisal Iqbal = :pissed: :pissed: :pissed:

Im glad Yousuf is back in the team, class act will strengthen the middle order

Im not convinced Razzaq should be selected for Test matches - he is fine for T20's and maybe ODI's BUT i wudnt play him in Tests

[Rudi hater]

Squad: Younis Khan (capt), Salman Butt, Khurram Manzoor, Mohammad Yousuf, Misbah-ul-Haq, Shoaib Malik, Kamran Akmal (wk), Umar Gul, Saeed Ajmal, Mohammad Aamer, Danish Kaneria, Abdul Razzaq, Abdur Rauf, Fawad Alam, Faisal Iqbal.

Comment: Cant understand why Rauf, Iqbal were picked, God Kaneria cant we move on from him as well. Akhtar's career is most definately over. Afridi pulled out for a private reason.
Do you know what test cricket is?

[Rudi hater]

Yikes, Danish Kaneria........... NOooooooooooooooooo......... Not Again
We are talking about test cricket here he is probably the best leg spinner we have.

[Savak]

Do you know what test cricket is?

Did i say something wrong?

[Savak]

We are talking about test cricket here he is probably the best leg spinner we have.

Kaneria has been out of form for ages, his selection is an extremely defensive move.

[pakcricketfan]

Faisal Iqbal = :pissed: :pissed: :pissed:

Im glad Yousuf is back in the team, class act will strengthen the middle order

Im not convinced Razzaq should be selected for Test matches - he is fine for T20's and maybe ODI's BUT i wudnt play him in Tests

I agree with you..

[fahimszd]

We will miss Afridi alot, but I hope Amir and Gul alongwith Ajmal will give us a good bowling strength, but definitely no need for Kaneria for sure.

[Rudi hater]

Kaneria has been out of form for ages, his selection is an extremely defensive move.
Kaneria is taking wickets in county circuit I am sure he will be a main threat for the Lankans.

[Rudi hater]

Couple of selection puzzled me, one was off Faisal and Razzaq they should not be selected. Razzaq should only be selected for ODI and T20. Faisal should not be selected full stop. I was disappaointed to see no Nasir in there. I guess we know BARI is back.

[pakcricketfan]

Couple of selection puzzled me, one was off Faisal and Razzaq they should not be selected. Razzaq should only be selected for ODI and T20. Faisal should not be selected full stop. I was disappaointed to see no Nasir in there. I guess we know BARI is back.

We all have been shouting big time that Bhanja MUST not be selected!!
I was actually surprised to see only 2 specialists openers in the squad..Butt and Manzoor.. I expected either Nasir or Shehzad to be in the squad along with Butt and Manzoor..But selectors went for 2 openers..

[offcutter]

This is Sri Lanka, we should include two spinners in our XI
My team:

Salman Butt
Khuram Manzoor
Younis Khan
Mohammad Yousuf
Misbah ul Haqq
Shoaib Malik
Kamran Akmal
Umar Gul
Saeed Ajmal
Mohammad Aamer
Danish Kaneria

[Awesome Anjum]

Why on earth has Abdul Razzaq been selected?!

[Free Hit]

Why on earth has Abdul Razzaq been selected?!

because he has quit icl so no matter how his performance is like he would have been selected and he needs to perform at this stage now to take a permanant spot in the team

[Rudi hater]

Razzaq should not have been selected for the tests. It was stupid decision from Bari and co to consider him for tests.

Ahmed Shezad is going to be a history under Bari which is a great pitty. Qadir why did you quit. Please come back.

[Wiji]

Razzaq should never be playing Test match cricket. When was the last time he played a first-class game??

And I'm dreading the fact that Fawad is going to be benched for Faisal Iqbal.

Good to see Yousuf back. He will be as hungry as ever!

[Savak]

Razzaq did pretty well for Pakistan when he last toured. Plus including him in the team gives us an opportunity to strengthen our batting, plus giving respite to Gul and Aamir in the heat and flat conditions of Sri Lanka.

Asif was the standout in 2006 but now everyone has to do the best they can.

[its.raja]

what the hell salman BUTT doing in the team

[ataullah]

Razzaq should not have been selected for the tests. It was stupid decision from Bari and co to consider him for tests.

Ahmed Shezad is going to be a history under Bari which is a great pitty. Qadir why did you quit. Please come back.

Qadir was mint yaar...a good selector cant last in pak..hes the one who gave youngsters a chance like amir, talha and shahzad.

[pakdesi]

d

[Amoeba]

what the hell salman BUTT doing in the team
Exactly !

Maybe because he speaks good English, or it is for his catching, throwing, and running between the wickets..................can't be for his batting

[saqlain]

Everyone is complaining about somebody. Almost everyone is complaining that what is X doing in the team and why not A isnt there. Once again, we are taking this selection way too seriously. I am sure these guys would do just fine. I remember there were people who were complaining about the selection of the players who won the world cup. I am sure PCB can not please everyone here.

[NeVerMind]

I was really hoping to see Afridi clain his test place back with the new maturity he has shown. And considering he has hardly played any cricket over the last year I thought he would be up for it. Fact is, Pakistan team needs Afridi in all forms of cricket...

[Rudi hater]

Exactly !

Maybe because he speaks good English, or it is for his catching, throwing, and running between the wickets..................can't be for his batting
If you have a little knowledge of test cricket Butt is not bad players in tests. He has done well over the years. So stop complaining.

[Rudi hater]

I was really hoping to see Afridi clain his test place back with the new maturity he has shown. And considering he has hardly played any cricket over the last year I thought he would be up for it. Fact is, Pakistan team needs Afridi in all forms of cricket...
errrrmmm no.

[the Great Khan]

The reason Bari selection is looking reasonable is because the interim commitee consists of inti and yk with Bari as a rubber stamp..bhanja will fail but is only there as back up..the fast bowlers are the ones who will need to win it for us..let's see what happens!!

[Amoeba]

If you have a little knowledge of test cricket Butt is not bad players in tests. He has done well over the years. So stop complaining.

er...............um..............yes I do have more than a little knowledge of Test Cricket thank you babu. Yes I know I am an old codger and maybe things have changed but is a test average less than 30 good for an opener these days?

Extremely limited player and will not resolve our long term opening problems.

[Uzi]

Razzaq and Maliks place in the test team is debatable. I probably wouldn't have picked either of them. They are fine for ODI and T20, but not so sure they warrant a place in the test team.

The biggest joke has to be bhanja's inclusion.

[Rudi hater]

er...............um..............yes I do have more than a little knowledge of Test Cricket thank you babu. Yes I know I am an old codger and maybe things have changed but is a test average less than 30 good for an opener these days?

Extremely limited player and will not resolve our long term opening problems.
OK tell when did you start watching cricket? I will tell you if ou have more knowledge about the game or not sunny boy.

[Amoeba]

OK tell when did you start watching cricket? I will tell you if ou have more knowledge about the game or not sunny boy.


1976.
Dare I suggest that you are confusing success in some limited overs biff bang stuff against our neighbours for the real thing.................?

[Rudi hater]

1976.
Dare I suggest that you are confusing success in some limited overs biff bang stuff against our neighbours for the real thing.................?
OK I started playing then...so we are about the same era...lol

[Rudi hater]

Afridi can only be played as an alrounder in the team in a place like India we can afford to play two spinners but having Malik, Razzaq and Afridi in the same test team makes no sense.

[Ali888]

i am a big fan of Aamer but they should either have rested him for this tour or included more bowling resource so he is not overbowled on flat spin friendly sri lankan decks

[IMMY69]

Afridi can only be played as an alrounder in the team in a place like India we can afford to play two spinners but having Malik, Razzaq and Afridi in the same test team makes no sense.

i maybe wrong here...but didnt malik score his first test century in sri lanka that helped us win the series..and wasnt razaq in the same team?
and didt razaq bowl really well in the last test match to help asif win that series?

[SheerIndianpace]

Stupid selection really, Razzaq and Rauf won't do much with ball in Lanka, as such bowling will be dependent of two guys in Gul and debutant Aamir.There should have been atleast 1 more pacer in the team, like Wahab riaz or Rana Naveed.

I think Pak will lose the test series to Lanka coz of poor selection.

[IMMY69]

Stupid selection really, Razzaq and Rauf won't do much with ball in Lanka, as such bowling will be dependent of two guys in Gul and debutant Aamir.There should have been atleast 1 more pacer in the team, like Wahab riaz or Rana Naveed.

I think Pak will lose the test series to Lanka coz of poor selection.

wow really??? so perhaps another post we maybe bumping after the sri lanka series....

[161]

Wasim Bari :31: :31: :31:

Fast bowler selection is all wrong.


First of all Lankan pitches do not support "hit the deck" type bowlers like Aamer and Rauf.

I'm all for Aamer as a long term bowling prospect but this is not the right place to get him a Test cap.

Arafat should have been selected instead. His bowling is more suited to Tests than one day cricket. Seaming Lankan pitches would have been perfect for his full and straight bowling style.

As for leaving Shoaib out. That's risky business. Do recall that Gul hasn't been doing that well in Test bowling and he was quite poor his last trip to Lanka. Shoaib can take wickets in any conditions and should have been in the squad.

Razzaq is not a bad selection. His slow cutters and full seaming deliveries were very effective last time in Lanka.

[*sallu*]

No major surprises
Its easy to select the xi from this team as well

[SheerIndianpace]

wow really??? so perhaps another post we maybe bumping after the sri lanka series....

I don't care what you do now or afterwards, but most ppl can see that the selection of pacers is wrong, unless Razzaq does wonder with ball in test series(highly unlikely) the team would suffer.

[IAJ]

Khurram Manzoor is a good player of spin but he doesn't look like an opener to me. Nasir Jamshed should have been in the squad too. So it seems Salman Butt and Khurram Manzoor will open.

[161]

Dropping Shezad is also very disappointing.

He's clearly better then Manzoor.

[murphyslaw79]

Big blow that Afridi is not playing, as he was the one to bring balance to the side.

Options i believe are as follows:

1. Manzoor
2. Butt
3. Younis
4. Yousuf
5. Misbah
6. Malik
7. Akmal
8. Gul
9. Aamer
10. Kaneria
11. Ajmal

The problem with the above line up is that our tail is way too long, and we only have 2 seamers.

The other option would be to drop Malik and play Razzaq, which allows for the 5 bowlers, which are essential to test cricket, especially in Sri Lanka.

Does the ICC have any sort of directive like the ECB does, whereby a 17 year old is only allowed to bowl 7 overs per spell, and has to wait until 7 overs have been bowled from the same end, before he can come back. Restricted to a max of 3 spells of 7 overs each?

If Afridi was playing, then the following line up would have been great.

1. Manzoor
2. Butt
3. Younis
4. Yousuf
5. Misbah
6. Afridi
7. Razzaq
8. Akmal
9. Gul
10. Aamer
11. Ajmal

[*sallu*]

I don't care what you do now or afterwards, but most ppl can see that the selection of pacers is wrong, unless Razzaq does wonder with ball in test series(highly unlikely) the team would suffer.

Listen Pakistan are going to play 2 pacers and Razzak probably
So our fast bowling attack is Gul Aamer and Razzak along with Ajmal and Kaneria. Afridi would've been better than Kaneria but we can't do anything about that. The bowling attack is the best available

[SheerIndianpace]

Listen Pakistan are going to play 2 pacers and Razzak probably
So our fast bowling attack is Gul Aamer and Razzak along with Ajmal and Kaneria. Afridi would've been better than Kaneria but we can't do anything about that. The bowling attack is the best available

But one can see that Pak doesn't have many option if the pacers don't do well, wouldn't it have been better if they had included one more pacer (riaz or Rana) so if one of the pacer wasn't doing well, they would have good replacement.

Afridi is now a good spinner and from what i've seen of Danish lately, i think Afridi would have done better, but since Afridi isn't playing himself, then playing Danish was the only option that Pakistan have right now.

[SheerIndianpace]

I'm glad Butt is back, after all that bashing, one should not forget that guys like Shaziab might be good for 20/20, but in test you need a batsman like BUTT.

[On_the_up]

Plus points
Aamer/Ajmal and Fawad are in.

Odd decision
Abdul Razzaq's inclusion for tests (lets hope he's hungry to do well in tests)
Only 2 specialists openers (would have included Jamshed in there)

Shocking
Bhanja!

Shame about Afridi, but it was his own decision and has to be respected.

PS: Definitely think Ajmal should be given a run as the premier spinner in the side above Kaneria, he has had enough chances and his uncanny knack of suddenly becoming a wkt taker once he has a century against his name is seriously crippling us!

[Amoeba]

I'm glad Butt is back, after all that bashing, one should not forget that guys like Shaziab might be good for 20/20, but in test you need a batsman like BUTT.

Yes, to give the opposing team's slip fielders catching practice, presumably.

[Wasim_Waqar]

I would have picked this team:-

Butt, Shehzad, Younis, Yousuf, Misbah, Malik, Akmal, Gul, Ajmal, Aamir, Kaneria

However, even that is debatable. We need our gun bowler Asif back and some more choice in the all-round department. Razzaq is suitable for 20-20 and probably ODIs but not tests. Is there any all-round talent that is coming through? Afridi's new-found temperament means that he could indeed be a replacement for Kaneria in tests and could include more quick men. Malik needs to mould himself into test quality player.

[SheerIndianpace]

Yes, to give the opposing team's slip fielders catching practice, presumably.

He's the best Pak have, need to stick to him, even if he gives catching practice to fielders in few match, its still better than dropping him and bringing another opener only to have that new opener being dropped in another test series and have Butt back again in the side.Enough of the musical chair nonsense.

[*sallu*]

My xi:
Butt
Khurram
Younis
Malik
Misbah
Fawad Alam (maybe razzaq, not sure)
Akmal
Gul
Ajmal
Aamer
Kaneria/Rauf (depending on the pitch)

[MalikMohsin]

We, Pakistani fans can not be graceful for anything after all.

This squad is fine and surely, it is not really perfect. At least, some right players are also chosen in the squad. You can't ask for better squad than this in comparable to the past.
I am happy with the squad and hoping to see Pakistan plays the test series in a very long time.

Abdur Rauf is fantastic bowler and complete test material. We gotta give him chance once. We already have 90 mph fast bowler, and we also have Saeed Ajmal to strengthen our bowling attack along with Danish 'whose form hasn't been positive' and the return of Mohammad Yousuf and several players like Khurram Manzoor, Naser Jamshed are also selected. I am surprised about the Razzaq selection in the squad. He won't be needed. That is for sure. Test is not his type. Overall, it is fine squad barring Faisal, Razzaq.

[who_dares]

1. Akmal
2. Butt
3. Younis
4. Yousuf
5. Misbah
6. Afridi
7. Razzaq
8. Gul
9. Danish
10. Aamer
11. Ajmal

mught b for first test

[Amjid Javed]

Kaneria very lucky to be retained. Good to see Ajmal selected and having Moyo back is huge bonus.

Iqbal shouldnt have been picked at all! Razzaq for tests? No only ODIs and T20s!

I guess Aamer/Rauf maybe fighting for 2nd seamers spot a long with Gul.

[Savak]

Kaneria should thank Afridi for giving him yet another chance, if Kaneria does not deliver on this tour its curtains for him.

[Amjid Javed]

Intresting to see if Pakistan go into tests with 2 spinners/2 seamers or 1 spinner and 3 seamers.

[Luton Bad Boy]

Nice to see the return of a solid middle order again with Yousuf, Younis and Misbah.....

[Rudi hater]

i maybe wrong here...but didnt malik score his first test century in sri lanka that helped us win the series..and wasnt razaq in the same team?
and didt razaq bowl really well in the last test match to help asif win that series?
Malik is fine we are playing him as a batsman.

[Prince of Pakistan]

Why are you against Abdur Rauf ? He is a good line and length bowler who can seam the bowl and gets natural bounce because of his height. he is a bit like Asif.

He is highly rated by our great Waqar Younis.

I hope he takes the new ball

[Amoeba]

He's the best Pak have, need to stick to him, even if he gives catching practice to fielders in few match, its still better than dropping him and bringing another opener only to have that new opener being dropped in another test series and have Butt back again in the side.Enough of the musical chair nonsense.

No one is questioning his loyalty to his country!! ;-)

[undisputed]

Well afridi in the past has been overlooked for tests. so maybe they said look we want you for odi's and T20's but Test cricket is not your style so we just tell the public you want a rest. which probably was the case... he has had a tough T20 for the last 3 weeks. and plus the selectors weren't too keen on him.... but i did read he will play in the odi's so atleast we will see him in the tour only test matches he is out for.

[waqar_ahmad]

dont agree with the selection of bhanja, Abdul Razzaq or Abdul Rauf. But what can you expect from Bari. This guy has never picked raw talent.

Should have given Talha or SOhail Khan another series.

[waqar_ahmad]

Intresting to see if Pakistan go into tests with 2 spinners/2 seamers or 1 spinner and 3 seamers.
With kaneria in the team, you would have to go in with an extra spinner :P

One thing though, Sri lanka is not the deathbed of fast bowlers, as some people presume it to be. Some tracks there are very pace friendly. Remember Asif destroying them last time?

[ali110]

Crazy selection as usual from morons at PCB.
WTH, Salman Butt, faisal Iqbal, Danish the chootia spinner and Razzaq are doing in test squad. simply pathetic.
I guess I won't be watching as long as Butt is in the team.
so I will wait for T20.

[IMMY69]

out of the selected sqaus my team would be as follows,

butt
manzoor
younis khan
mohammad yousuf
shoiab malik
kamran akmal
abdul razaq
umar gul
mohammad amir
danish kaneria
saeed ajmal

afridi is the missing link as he can be a genuine allrounder and bat at 6 or 7 which would allow us to remove danish kaneria and strengthen the batting line-up...

having said that its time the likes of akmal and razaq take responsibility with bat and score some runs...and if they can do that then it allows us flexibility with the bowling...

there is another option and that would be to have either akmal or malik open the batting with butt and play misbah at 6 which would strengthen both the opening and lower order batting...

[love pak]

good to saeed ajmal and abdur rauf in pakistan Squad ...

[IMMY69]

razaq, although had been extemely mediocre in the test side for sometime, was infact quiet an essential element of the side...in fact either him or afridi help to balance the test side. This not only stregnthens the team on paper but also has a huge affect on the team too..as seen in the present 20/20 victory...

most of our test match successes during the 90's and this century have always included either afridi or razaq or sometimes both..

[Amjid Javed]

Immy,

So you are thinking of dropping Misbah from the team?

[srh]

This is great news that Afridi is not in Test team. I dont want him in Test team as he will get bored soon. He needs interesting things to showcase his class like ODIs and T20s.

[IMMY69]

Immy,

So you are thinking of dropping Misbah from the team?

amjid, i think misbah should be in the team but we need to also keep an eye out for the longer term..malik or akmal may have to open to accomodate misbah...this may not be a bad thing as i dont see butt and manzoor lighting up the test arena (i hope i;m wrong ofcourse!)...

its a difficult one but the return of moyo has changed things a little...

also, bowlers win you test matches and we need to accomodate atleast 4 top bowlers with an allrounder, if not five topclass bowlers...

[Inswinger]

If we play both Ajmal and Kaneria then Malik will have to open. Razzaq will be the 3rd seamer along with Gul and Aamer.

[abc_to_xyz]

Hmm... let me make final XI from the squad


Buttling
Manzoor
Akmal
Younis
Yousaf
Razzler
Malik
Misbah
Gul
Aamer/Rauf
Ajmal

[Inswinger]

Hmm... let me make final XI from the squad


Buttling
Manzoor
Akmal
Younis
Yousaf
Razzler
Malik
Misbah
Gul
Aamer/Rauf
Ajmal
Only one spinner?

[AZ]

perhaps something like this:

Salman Butt
Khurram Manzoor
Younis Khan
Mohd. Yousuf (c)
Misbah-ul-Haq
Kamran Akmal (wk)
Abdul Razzaq
Umar Gul
Danish Kaneria
Saeed Ajmal
Mohd. Aamer


Malik's form is quite dire and Razz would provide stability in both batting/bowling depts.

[Zaz]

Bowling looks a bit lightweight

Wots bhanjha doing there?

Hope they select this team

Butt
Manzoor
Yk
Yousuf
Misbah
Malik
Razzaq
Akmal
Gul
Kaneria
Rauf

[Zaz]

perhaps something like this:

Salman Butt
Khurram Manzoor
Younis Khan
Mohd. Yousuf (c)
Misbah-ul-Haq
Kamran Akmal (wk)
Abdul Razzaq
Umar Gul
Danish Kaneria
Saeed Ajmal
Mohd. Aamer


Malik's form is quite dire and Razz would provide stability in both batting/bowling depts.


Yousuf captain?????

[hussain_0216]

I'd give Kaneria more chances.


He was fine up until abround 2007, he then lost form followed by the fact that we did not play much test cricket and the test cricket we did play was on very POOR Pakistani wickets with low bounce and slow turn, thats not Kaneria fault

If we look back at the last test series with sri lanka we will find that Sri Lankan spinners were made to look ordinary on our pitches




So I dont mind Kaneria, its only when the opposition spinners take loads of wickets and Kaneria does nothing will i really get annoyed.



If were being consistent then Faisal Iqbal should be picked, (not that i like him) but simply because he didnt do anything wrong in the last series




Razzaq/Rauf are dissapointing, because i dont feel they can do much on Sr Lankan pitches, if your going to pick Rauf you might aswell pick Rao.

I would rather sohail khan or Mo Talha get more exposure at international level.

[cricketpassion]

Are they going to announce one squad later on or are they going to keep the same squad for odi ?

[Amjid Javed]

Salman Butt
Khurram Manzoor
Younis Khan
Mohd. Yousuf (c)
Misbah-ul-Haq
Kamran Akmal (wk)
Abdul Razzaq/Malik
Umar Gul
Danish Kaneria
Saeed Ajmal
Mohd. Aamer

That would be best way to go i think!

[Zaz]

I'd give Kaneria more chances.


He was fine up until abround 2007, he then lost form followed by the fact that we did not play much test cricket and the test cricket we did play was on very POOR Pakistani wickets with low bounce and slow turn, thats not Kaneria fault

If we look back at the last test series with sri lanka we will find that Sri Lankan spinners were made to look ordinary on our pitches




So I dont mind Kaneria, its only when the opposition spinners take loads of wickets and Kaneria does nothing will i really get annoyed.



If were being consistent then Faisal Iqbal should be picked, (not that i like him) but simply because he didnt do anything wrong in the last series




Razzaq/Rauf are dissapointing, because i dont feel they can do much on Sr Lankan pitches, if your going to pick Rauf you might aswell pick Rao.

I would rather sohail khan or Mo Talha get more exposure at international level.


Im glad rauf is there, his tight bowling, good bounce and general fc experience will be handy

Aamir is a good prospect but as we have seen his action needs more work and he needs to tighten up cos in test cricket he will be easy to score off just like talha and sohail khan

[waqar_ahmad]

Salman Butt
Khurram Manzoor
Younis Khan
Mohd. Yousuf (c)
Misbah-ul-Haq
Kamran Akmal (wk)
Abdul Razzaq/Malik
Umar Gul
Danish Kaneria
Saeed Ajmal
Mohd. Aamer

That would be best way to go i think!
With just 2 pacers, I would play Abdul Razaq as the 3rd pacer. But, the problem is that malik is a better player of spin than Abdul Razzaq. I dont think Adbul Razzaq can handle a barrage of spin on a turning track as well as malik

[Tapori]

Decent Squad but question marks about the 2nd opener and fast bowlers.

I fear Razzaq being murdered on those pitches,

Kaneria and Ajmal to spin because Malik isnt potent enough.

Gul and Aamer to open the bowling but you really need another seamer - the problem is Afridi would have solved the allrounder issue -

Selection SHOULD depend on the pitch.

[AZ]

Yousuf captain?????

ah lol excuse me...of course YK as captain

[Zaz]

Decent Squad but question marks about the 2nd opener and fast bowlers.

I fear Razzaq being murdered on those pitches,

Kaneria and Ajmal to spin because Malik isnt potent enough.

Gul and Aamer to open the bowling but you really need another seamer - the problem is Afridi would have solved the allrounder issue -

Selection SHOULD depend on the pitch.

Maliks got to play as he is very good against spin

Razzaqs gotta play as third seamer backing up gul and rauf

AJmal unfortunately misses out to kaneria

[IMMY69]

Salman Butt
Khurram Manzoor
Younis Khan
Mohd. Yousuf (c)
Misbah-ul-Haq
Kamran Akmal (wk)
Abdul Razzaq/Malik
Umar Gul
Danish Kaneria
Saeed Ajmal
Mohd. Aamer

That would be best way to go i think!

so you would have no place for malik? do you think misbah is a better batsman then malik?

[Javelin]

M. Yousuf still NOT in the ICC Test Rankings, even though he's in the ODI Rankings, despite being in the Pakistan squad.

Maybe they will treat him as a newcomer, i.e. someone who is just starting their Test career, and his 1st Test (on the ICC's Test Rankings) will be when he plays the 1st Test against Sri Lanka.

Or maybe the one who plays ODI's for Pakistan is a different guy to the one who played in Tests. That's why he's still on the ODI Rankings but not on the Test Rankings.

[*sallu*]

Butt
Manzoor/Malik (play Malik if hes willing to open)
Younis (c)
Yousuf
Misbah
Akmal (wk)
Razzaq
Gul
Ajmal
Kaneria
Aamer

[AZ]

agreed, last time he opened there he played a brilliant match saving 100

[Zaz]

agreed, last time he opened there he played a brilliant match saving 100


Malik aint a long term viable opening option

We need a perm option like manzoor at the top, he needs the experience

[AZ]

Malik aint a long term viable opening option

We need a perm option like manzoor at the top, he needs the experience

yea that's one major drawback...plus we will probaby be playing 2 spinners, so we shouldn't really need him as a spinner either...so perhaps Malik will be dropped

[Zaz]

Malik aint a long term viable opening option

We need a perm option like manzoor at the top, he needs the experience


With lots of test coming up particularly in eng, maybe nz and aus in future we definetly need stable regular openers

Manzoor has done well so far, hope hes given a fair chance

[insaftak]

that's a weak bowling attack

[AZ]

Aamer Gul Razzaq Ajmal Kaneria? if that's weak, then what do you suggest?

[insaftak]

we could have put in Talha for razzaq, kaneria hasn't done anything for a while now but i don't know if anyone could replace him right now

[AZ]

yea but in Lankan conditions, we will need him...Talha should have at least been in the squad...Rauf is past it

[muzher]

do you think misbah is a better batsman then malik?

Yes.

[Usman]

Disappointed about not having Afridi but the team should be exactly as follows:

Khurram Manzoor
Fawad Alam
Younis Khan (capt)
Mohammad Yousuf
Misbah-ul-Haq
Kamran Akmal (wk)
Abdul Razzaq
Umar Gul
Saeed Ajmal/ Danish Kaneria - Whether Ajmal is successful at tests remains to be seen
Mohammad Aamer
Abdur Rauf - I suppose if the track is spinning, we could play both spinners

I have included an extra bowler instead of Malik. Why? Well firstly I have to say that Kamran Akmal has come on leaps and bounds in his batting to the point where he is a crucial batsmen for us. We therefore don't need the assurance of Malik, especially when we have Razzaq down the order. Secondly, with the addition of Moyo to the team, our batting has already gained immense strength. On the other hand, just going in with 2 specialist fast bowlers and a spinner plus Razzaq is very risky. There needs to be some back up bowling, which can be given by a second spinner or a third specialist pacer.

Fawad should open the batting. His domestic average is probably higher than both Younis and Moyo. Therefore, I believe putting him up to open may just give the batting some solidarity. Putting Salman Butt in the team is like shooting yourself in the foot.

I'm disappointed that Ahmed Shahzad isn't included because he is one opener who has a solid technique and would be more suited to tests than t20. It is unbelievable that a guy as rubbish as Iqbal continuously makes the squad when after around 20-25 tests, his average is about 25! Then again, in Pakistani cricket, who you know counts for more than the talent you posses.

Similarly, I would have liked Rana in the squad, as he does have better pace, control as well as more experience than Rauf. I hope this is only a test squad, as it seems there is no Nazir!

[shaun3]

yikes bhanja rearing his head again.

Overall a decent selection, but like always with this same bunch we can get a crap team or a good team; all will depend on the selection of the final XI

Its a tragedy that Afridi is not playing; and I hope alam gets a spot (...will probably go to bhanja tho)

[IMMY69]

Yes.

amjid? have you changed your name?

[Plasma]

perhaps something like this:

Salman Butt
Khurram Manzoor
Younis Khan
Mohd. Yousuf (c)
Misbah-ul-Haq
Kamran Akmal (wk)
Abdul Razzaq
Umar Gul
Danish Kaneria
Saeed Ajmal
Mohd. Aamer


Malik's form is quite dire and Razz would provide stability in both batting/bowling depts.
I sure hope that was a mistake or a joke. I'd rather have Afridi captain the test side.

[AZ]

if you had kept on reading, you would have found your answer

[Shah]

Butt
Razzaq
Younis (c)
Yousuf
Malik
Misbah
Akmal (wk)
Gul
Ajmal
Kaneria
Aamer

Razzaq plays the quicks very well and can also operate in slow mode ideal for tests (remember Mohali in March 2005, he scored 71 in 346 mins. using up 260 balls http://www.cricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/64125.html ). He used to open in the ICL. It is essential to have 3 fast bowlers. Two spinners are also essential for S.L. pitches (you can bet that both Murali and Mendis will play).

[younggunzz786uk]

where is rana naved???????????????????????? :(!!!! why is he not in the team, AHHH!!!

[Sufi Malang]

Salman Butt
Khurram Manzoor
Younis Khan
Mohd. Yousuf (c)
Misbah-ul-Haq
Kamran Akmal (wk)
Abdul Razzaq/Malik
Umar Gul
Danish Kaneria
Saeed Ajmal
Mohd. Aamer

That would be best way to go i think!

I agree completely! Though i wud prefer Razzaq ahead of Malik!

[kingusama92]

Out of these blokes.. my team for the 1st test match would be.

1) Salman Butt (he's fine as a test batsman and we need some experience at the top)

2) Khurram Manzoor (A good upcoming youngster that should be persisted with)

3) Younis Khan (No doubt a batsman with pure class plus a great captain)

4) Mohammad Yousuf (Can't wait to see him and his flowing cover drives again)

5) Misbah Ul Haq (Hopefully regains his form.. but he's definitely going to make the team)

6) Shoaib Malik (Whatever you say... he can bat and he showed us in the T20s that he can defend :))))

7( Kamran Akmal (He's on song now.. and his bat is on fire)

8) Abdul Razzaq (Good to have his hitting ability at the bottom of the order plus he can bowl)

9) Mohammad Aamer (He should be in the lineup cause he could cause havoc in SL)

10) Umar Gul (Our spearhead no doubt about it)

11) Danish Kaneria (Unfortunately it's inevitable)

**In the end a decent team.. good batting depth, but I worry about the bowling.**

[taqi]

dont like bhanja there and they should have selected any other fast bowler rauf is not a test material

[srh]

Out of these blokes.. my team for the 1st test match would be.

1) Salman Butt (he's fine as a test batsman and we need some experience at the top)

2) Khurram Manzoor (A good upcoming youngster that should be persisted with)

3) Younis Khan (No doubt a batsman with pure class plus a great captain)

4) Mohammad Yousuf (Can't wait to see him and his flowing cover drives again)

5) Misbah Ul Haq (Hopefully regains his form.. but he's definitely going to make the team)

6) Shoaib Malik (Whatever you say... he can bat and he showed us in the T20s that he can defend :))))

7( Kamran Akmal (He's on song now.. and his bat is on fire)

8) Abdul Razzaq (Good to have his hitting ability at the bottom of the order plus he can bowl)

9) Mohammad Aamer (He should be in the lineup cause he could cause havoc in SL)

10) Umar Gul (Our spearhead no doubt about it)

11) Danish Kaneria (Unfortunately it's inevitable)

**In the end a decent team.. good batting depth, but I worry about the bowling.**
Playing both Sohaib Malik and Abdul Razzaq will make bowling weak. Replace one of them with a genuine bowler.

[kingusama92]

Playing both Sohaib Malik and Abdul Razzaq will make bowling weak. Replace one of them with a genuine bowler.

There is no way Younis Khan will drop anyone from the middle order. Either you drop Khurram Manzoor and move Malik up the order or drop Razzaq.

It'll be interesting how Younis Khan handles this.

[saeed-sohail]

I am shocked at the selection of the squad for SL tour.We need a fresh approach to test cricket enough of this handing test caps to mediocre players with no long term thought behind.
Abdul Razzaq for one should be nowhere near the test team he is a good limited overs player but no better and he did not even earn his place in the team in test cricket.
Shoaib malik is another one who would never feature in any top teams as his batting and bowling are not good enough to earn him a place.Faisal Iqbal had enough chances and should be replaced with a young player.

[Saj]

why start another thread - why not put this in the other thread for the SL tour ??

[srh]

There is no way Younis Khan will drop anyone from the middle order. Either you drop Khurram Manzoor and move Malik up the order or drop Razzaq.

It'll be interesting how Younis Khan handles this.
2 genuine openers is a must for Test for Inti, so forget about Khurram Manzoor being dropped. The team you selected is very weak in bowling. Fix it.

[kingusama92]

2 genuine openers is a must for Test for Inti, so forget about Khurram Manzoor being dropped. The team you selected is very weak in bowling. Fix it.

It's not the team I selected. I would drop Malik if it's my team and bring in Ajmal. Do I think Younis Khan will do it? Nope he will never drop Malik it's just not going to happen I am afraid.

[srh]

It's not the team I selected. I would drop Malik if it's my team and bring in Ajmal. Do I think Younis Khan will do it? Nope he will never drop Malik it's just not going to happen I am afraid.
I was talking about the team you posted in #130.

http://www.pakpassion.net/ppforum/showpost.php?p=1993314&postcount=130

[legslip]

My test team:

1- Shoaib Malik
2- Fawad Alam
3- Younis Khan
4- Mohammed Yousuf
5- Misbah ul Haq
6- Abdul Razzaq
7- Kamran Akmal
8- Saeed Ajmal
9- Umar Gul
10- Mohammed Aamer
11- Danish Kaneria

[undisputed]

TEST

1. Salman Butt
2. Shoaib Malik
3. Younus Khan
4. Mohammed Yousuf
5. Misbah Al haq
6. Kamran Akmal
7. Abdul Razzaq
8. Umar Gul
9. Saeed Ajmal
10. Danish Kaniera
11. Mohammed Amir

[abdulqadir786]

Afridi asked pcb to not put him in test selection cuz he said he needed some rest and he will be back for odis and t20!!

my team

salman butt
khuram manzor
kamran akmal
younus khan
mohammad yousuf
misbah ul haq
shoaib malik
abdul razzaq
fawad alam
umar gul
saeed ajmal
mohammad ammir/ danish kaneria

[eViLrAcEr]

Afridi was limping during the celebrations, so maybe he's going to nurse his injury and go for umra too ;)

dont know much about how the team will do but 4 of my favorite players are there

YK, Amir, Gullie and Akmal :D

[Amjid Javed]

so you would have no place for malik? do you think misbah is a better batsman then malik?

Personally id like to see Malik/razzaq battling for number 6 spot. Maliks the better player of spin.

Misbah is a more prolific scorer compared to malik, decent thing for malik in terms of ages etc.. he has more time on his side.

I cant see why both cant play.

[rash]

bari strikes again, Faisal iqbal, kaneria are back to haunt us, i fail to understand y cant we try sum other leggie and invest in a new lad who can take over after younus and yousuf faisal iqbal doesnt come any where near to yousuf and younus he is miles behind its only coz JM is pushing him

[offcutter]

I feel we need to pick our best XI, but we are hampered by positions, in particular the opening position. Pakistan always wants to play specialist openers, even when they haven't done the job for a good 10 years. Why not have middle order players give opening a shot, the way Lanka have Dilshan open? I think Alam could have a spot in the team if he opted to open, and Malik's place wouldn't be questioned either. It's just a fact that our middle order is too packed right now, especially with MoYo coming back, and so we can't include our best batsmen in the team while sticking with the specialist openers track.

[AZ]

it's not just Pakistan, all of the major nations do not fiddle with makeshift openers

[S.MalikFan]

is this the first time fawad alam got selected for a test?

[Osman]

Butt
Manzoor
YK
Yousuf
Malik
Misbah
Akmal
Razzaq
Gul
Aamer
Ajmal

[pakcricketfan]

is this the first time fawad alam got selected for a test?

Nope..This is the second time Fawad's been selected for tests. The first occasion was the last home series against SL .

[pakistanbest]

this 15man squad picked is poor, no balance and half the players are not rest material, but we need to let go off Malik and Misbah, Malik needs to work on his game possible playing domestic cricket in Australia or England, Umar Akmal has to be given chances, Alam can come in the middle order and we should open with :ahmeds and????? (can't think of a decent another opener, anyone??)

Misbah's test career should be over, he is too old to make a comeback, we need to invest in future.

Afridi needs to play and he could be pivotal with Ajmal in test's aswell, Kaneria is back-up :D

Bowling, Gul needs to work on his new bowl abilties, though don't know what will Aaqib the great do, more like destroy him!

Asif will be back and we need him, Aamer with time will get better.

we need more back-up bowlers, Rana possibly though not sure how he is doing now. Is Arafat still injured, he would've been better than Rauf and a decent bowler. Wahab Riaz needs a go aswell, need to try out some more fast bowling youngsters, Talha wasn' t too bad, he could be in the squad for the aussies series

i am to be honest struggling to make a decent and balanced squad but here goes

Openers
Shehzad
Jamshed (fitness is major concern)
????????

Batsmen
Younis
Yousuf
Alam
Akmal
????
Akmal (Akmal could become specialist batsman or opener and Sarfraz keeps wicket)
Afridi
Amin
Sharyar

Bowlers
Asif
Gul
Aamer
Kaneria
Ajmal
Wahab
Talha
Razzaq/Rana( though both should only be considered in case of injuries)

I not really been following the Pak A team and their a few decent players their but what would PP'ers pick

[hasanb]

yeah that is a much better pool of players right there, we'll have to cut out a couple of bowlers and a batsman perhaps to make it a squad of 15, but that pool is so much more encouraging.

Thanks so much wasim bari for your lovely team selection....

[AZ]

yeah that is a much better pool of players right there, we'll have to cut out a couple of bowlers and a batsman perhaps to make it a squad of 15, but that pool is so much more encouraging.

Thanks so much wasim bari for your lovely team selection....

1st of all, Bari did not select this team

2nd, what changes would YOU have made? who was supposed to be picked that was left back at home?

[zarak]

yeah that is a much better pool of players right there, we'll have to cut out a couple of bowlers and a batsman perhaps to make it a squad of 15, but that pool is so much more encouraging.

Thanks so much wasim bari for your lovely team selection....

why didnt you comment on the selection before i didnt see you criticizing the selection when pak was 280-1. Do you really have a problem with selection or are you just another useless bandwagon critic