Daily Times

LAHORE: Pakistan cricket selectors, headed by former Test captain Msibahul Haq, on Wednesday recalled batsmen Umar Akmal and Ahmad Shahzad to a 16-member national squad named for a three-match Sri Lanka T20I series to be played on October 5, 7 and 9 here at Gaddafi Stadium. Both players are recalled after 16 months and three years respectively. The outfit also includes Faheem Ashraf, who missed out on a central contract this year, while Mohammad Rizwan and Abid Ali miss out. Opener Imam-ul-Haq isn’t part of the squad either, but his exclusion, according to a PCB statement, is due to the hand injury he sustained during the second ODI against Sri Lanka in Karachi, which Pakistan won by 67 runs. Pacer Hasan Ali, who was left out of the squad for ODI series against Sri Lanka due to a back spasm, has not fully recovered and will have to spend more time on the sidelines. All-rounders Mohammad Hafeez and Shoaib Malik will not be part of the squad as they have been granted No-objection Certificate (NOC) until October 12 to participate in the ongoing Caribbean Premier League (CPL). Rookie pacer Mohammad Hasnain has also been successful in retaining his place in the squad. Hasnain made his T20I debut against England in Cardiff, earlier in May this year, where he went wicketless in his full quota of four overs.

Ahmad last featured in a T20I in June 2018 against Scotland, while Umar’s last appearance in the same format was in September 2016 against the West Indies. Ahmad was subsequently out of the reckoning after being suspended for testing positive for a banned substance. Umar, meanwhile, lost his place in 2016 when he was involved in a public spat with then head coach Mickey Arthur, leading to a three-match ban and a PKR 1 million (US$ 6300 approx) fine, with the PCB also revoking no-objection certificates for the player to play in overseas leagues for two months. Both the players have never been on the popularity list of national selectors or team management and former coach Arthur preferred to keep them out of the team for all formats for the most part of his three-year stint as head coach. But head coach-chief selector Misbah has other ideas and he made it clear that he is eyeing next year’s World T20 in Australia. “Both Ahmad and Umar are experienced players and have performed and left an impact in the T20 format. They trained hard in the recent conditioning camp and have done well in domestic cricket so we are giving them a chance,” Misbah said. “We are checking players for vacant spots in the team ahead of the World Cup which is important for us,” he added.

Faheem last played for Pakistan in a five-match away ODI series against England in May this year. Iftikhar Ahmed has been recalled to the T20I side as well, his solitary game in the format having come in 2016 against Sri Lanka, a match where he did not get to either bat or bowl. Mohammad Nawaz could also play his first T20I in over a year, after being picked alongside Imad Wasim, Shadab Khan and Iftikhar to form a strong spin contingent. There might be some awkward reunions in the side, particularly between Ahmad and Umar, and the newly appointed bowling coach Waqar Younis. As head coach until the 2016 World T20, Waqar had resigned with scathing parting shots aimed at both players. He had said that sacrificing “one Umar Akmal will allow us to develop other players who can truly and proudly wear the star on their chest and represent Pakistan”. He had also said Ahmad should be made to re-earn his place in the national side after performing in domestic cricket. In a recent press conference, Waqar drew attention to that last remark, insisting he had never said he wanted the two to be kept away from the national side forever. The three T20Is will be the first multi-game series in the shortest format for Pakistan since the world’s No. 1 side saw their 11-series-winning streak snapped in South Africa at the start of the year. Sarfaraz Ahmed, however, was not part of that series, and has still yet to lose a series as captain.

Pakistan T20I squad:

Sarfaraz Ahmed (capt & wk), Babar Azam (vice-capt), Ahmed Shehzad, Asif Ali, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Sohail, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Nawaz, Shadab Khan, Umar Akmal, Usman Shinwari, Wahab Riaz.