| Player: | Sohail Tanvir, R Wade, Mohammad Talha, Asim Kamal, MS Sinclair |
| Event: | Sri Lanka in Pakistan 2008/09 |
DateLine: 19th February 2009
Pakistan have dropped pace bowler Sohail Tanvir and allrounder Shahid Afridi for the first test against Sri Lanka starting on Saturday. The selectors have called up uncapped youngsters Mohammad Talha and Ahmed Shahzad to the 15-man squad. Chief selector Abdul Qadir told a news conference fast bowler Talha and opener Shahzad had a good chance of playing in the test after performing well at domestic level.
Shahzad scored a hundred against Sri Lanka on Friday in a two-day warm-up match before retiring hurt. Pakistan have also recalled left handed batsman Asim Kamal who last played a test against England in 2005.
The selectors also kept faith with Shoaib Malik, who was replaced as captain by Younis Khan last month after a one-day home series loss to Sri Lanka. Asim Kamal's return is otherwise notable, capping the end of a three-year Test exile. Kamal played the last of his 12 Tests in 2005 against England, since when he has been the subject of contentious debate among several selection committees and captains. He has been in steady, rather than spectacular, form this season (451 runs in eight Quaid-e-Azam trophy games) but his many backers will argue that he should never have been dropped in the first place. The man who leads the domestic run-charts, Fawad Alam (855 runs at 122.14) provides competition along with Faisal Iqbal for a middle-order berth.
The second test in the two-test series starts on Sunday March 1 in Lahore.
Squad: Younis Khan (Capt), Misbah-ul-Haq, Salman Butt, Khurrum Manzoor, Ahmed Shahzad, Faisal Iqbal, Shoaib Malik, Asim Kamal, Fawad Alam, Kamran Akmal, Danish Kaneria, Sohail Khan, Umar Gul, Mohammad Talha, Yasir Arafat.
