Malik, Younus snubbed for ODIs, Twenty20s

PCB omitted former captain Shoaib Malik from the ODI and Twenty20 squad or the final part of the tour of England.

KARACHI: In a surprising move, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) omitted former captain Shoaib Malik from the One-Day International (ODI) and Twenty20 squad for the final part of the tour of England.

Malik, who is part of the Test squad that took on Australia and is currently playing against England, was also overlooked for the first part of the tour and only managed a comeback following then-captain Shahid Afridi’s retirement from Test cricket.

PCB overlook Younus again

Also missing from the 16-man squad is another former captain Younus Khan while Mohammad Yousuf, who made his international comeback in the third Test against England at The Oval, makes a comeback to the ODI squad after not being considered for the Asia Cup due to his retirement.

Younus, whose ‘indefinite ban’ was overturned by the PCB, has been overlooked after he was not cleared by the board.

“The decision to overlook Younus is the board’s decision,” said captain Shahid Afridi after chief selector Mohsin Khan named the squad. “There’s complete harmony in the team as there are no differences among the players and I am trying to keep the boys united.”

The 16-man squad was announced in Lahore following a meeting that included Mohsin, Afridi and the PCB Chairman Ijaz Butt. Following the fourth and last Test against England that starts on Thursday, Pakistan will play back-to-back Twenty20s on September 5 and 7 before the five-match ODI series against the hosts.

“The chairman is not happy with Younus so he blocked his inclusion in the team despite an  insistence by Afridi and Mohsin,” said a PCB official.

Poor performance behind Malik’s omission

The selectors, in the meantime also dropped Malik after a dismal performance in the Asia Cup and Test series against Australia and England.

Malik, who has played 32 Tests and 192 ODIs, was dropped after poor performance in the Asia Cup as well as the ongoing Test series where he has scored just 89 runs in three Tests after making only 46 runs in two Asia Cup matches in June.

Akhtar lives to tell the tale

Shoaib Akhtar, who was not part of the Test squad, has returned as well while left-arm pacer Wahab Riaz was retained after an impressive performance against England at The Oval on debut. Akhtar was part of the two-match Twenty20 series that Pakistan won against Australia at the start of July in Birmingham and despite not bagging many wickets, his pace did worry the opposition.

“The announced team is the unanimous choice of coach, captain and the selectors,” said Mohsin. “The reason to include two more pacers in the team is to reduce the burden from other fast bowlers.”

Younus’ snub lamented

The PCB drew criticism after it excluded Younus from the limited-over series against England.

“The board has almost shut the doors for Younus with the recent snub,” said former chief selector Iqbal Qasim.

Meanwhile, former fast-bowler Jalauddin said Younus’ presence could have boosted the team in England. “Pakistan could have benefitted from him presence. If he has been ignored due to a personal grudge, then it’s a wrong decision.”

Published in The Express Tribune, August 25^th, 2010.