Shoaib expected to be back vs West Indies

Karachi: The Pakistan cricket selectors Thursday decided to provide Shoaib Akhtar more time to reclaim top match fitness when they left him out of a tentative 16-man team for the six-match ODI series vs India starting April 2 in Kochi.

The final team will be announced Friday. Selectors? chairman Wasim Bari had a telephonic discussion with the team management late this evening.

?The 16-man team has been finalised by the selectors and Shoaib Akhtar and Shabbir Ahmed have been left out chiefly because they are not yet match fit,? sources close to the selection committee said.

Shoaib resumed bowling earlier this week while Shabbir Ahmed played a 50-over-a-side match here Thursday.

?Shabbir needs more time while Shoaib has not yet conveyed his availability. In all probability, the two players will stage their comebacks on the tour of the West Indies this summer,? the sources said.

Inzamam-ul Haq with the trophy he received from Karnataka Cricket Association president Ram Prasad for his 100th Test in Bangalore on Thursday. (AFP)

Shoaib missed the Test series with a hamstring injury but had hoped to return to the side for the one-dayers.

The selectors have decided to send opener Imran Farhat, allrounder Mohammed Hafeez and fast bowlers Shahid Nazir and Rao Iftikhar Anjum to India for the one-day series.

The foursome will replace Taufeeq Umar, Mohammed Khalil, Salman Butt or Yasir Hameed and Danish Kaneria or Arshad Khan.

It was learnt that the telephonic discussion revolved around around who will be the opener and the spinner who will spinner to return home.

?As things stand at present, Yasir Hameed and Danish Kaneria are likely to catch the flights back home along with Taufeeq and Khalil,? the sources said, adding ?but the consent of the team management will be taken before the names are officially released. Kaneria is considered a Test specialist by the team management while Hameed has been off form recently.?

Yasir appeared in 46 one-dayers for Pakistan but his last half century came 16 matches ago when he scored 102 against Bangladesh in the Asia Cup.

Nazir, who narrowly missed the tour after Bob Woolmer voted in favour of Khalil, has played 17 one-dayers for Pakistan in which he has taken 19 wickets.

His last appearance for Pakistan was against Sri Lanka in Lahore in February 2000. Shahid is currently touring Sri Lanka with Pakistan A and will join the team directly from Colombo.

Anjum has picked up six wickets in eight appearances so far.

Hafeez, who was also reported for a suspect bowling action during the tri-series in Australia, has played 28 one-dayers in which he has scored 494 runs and taken 25 wickets. Farhat averages 34.30 from 21 one-dayers.

PROVISIONAL SQUAD

Salman Butt, Imran Farhat, Mohammed Hafeez, Shahid Afridi, Younis Khan (vice-captain), Inzamam-ul Haq (captain), Yousuf Youhana, Asim Kamal, Kamran Akmal, Abdul Razzaq, Shahid Nazir, Rana Naved-ul Hasan, Mohammed Sami, Rao Iftikhar Anjum, Arshad Khan and Shoaib Malik.