Making his comeback: Saeed Ajmal drafted into Pakistan A side
Suspended off-spinner to play last two games against Kenya
KARACHI:
National selectors have included Saeed Ajmal in the Pakistan A squad for the final two limited-overs fixtures against Kenya. The suspended off-spinner, who has remodelled his bowling action, will be making a return to competitive cricket for the first time since the International Cricket Council (ICC) declared his action illegal in September.
After spending nearly three months remodelling his action in Lahore and England, the 37-year old will finally get an opportunity of testing it out in a competitive match.
Ajmal was coached by former Test off-spinner, the inventor of ‘doosra’ Saqlain Mushtaq, first at Lahore’s National Cricket Academy and later in England.
Recently, Ajmal had pushed for retesting of his action but the Pakistan Cricket Board decided to test him out in domestic matches before seeking an appointment with the ICC.
According to the ICC ruling, Ajmal is banned from bowling at the international level but can do so in domestic cricket in Pakistan.
The selectors also made several other changes to the squad with Mukhtar Ahmad, Umer Siddique, Zafar Gohar, Ahmad Jamal, Ziaul Haq, Mir Hamza and Zohaib Ahmed replacing Sharjeel Khan, Sami Aslam, Anwar Ali, Ehsan Adil, Mohammad Talha and Imran Khan.
Anwar was included in the national team taking on New Zealand in the ongoing ODI series after Bilawal Bhatti withdrew due to a hand injury.
‘Ajmal’s action will be assessed thoroughly’
A member of the selection committee and former Test opener, Shoaib Muhammad, feels that Ajmal’s induction will help in ascertaining his new action in the environs of a competitive match.
“Since matches are aired live, this game will provide a good opportunity for Ajmal to test out his action and the selectors and even the ICC can assess it,” he said. “The selectors feel that the last two games against Kenya will provide an ideal opportunity to ascertain the legality of his new action.”
The fourth and fifth match of the Pakistan A vs Kenya series will be played on December 19th and 20th. Pakistan A have already won the series after claiming the first three matches.
National selectors have included Saeed Ajmal in the Pakistan A squad for the final two limited-overs fixtures against Kenya. The suspended off-spinner, who has remodelled his bowling action, will be making a return to competitive cricket for the first time since the International Cricket Council (ICC) declared his action illegal in September.
After spending nearly three months remodelling his action in Lahore and England, the 37-year old will finally get an opportunity of testing it out in a competitive match.
Ajmal was coached by former Test off-spinner, the inventor of ‘doosra’ Saqlain Mushtaq, first at Lahore’s National Cricket Academy and later in England.
Recently, Ajmal had pushed for retesting of his action but the Pakistan Cricket Board decided to test him out in domestic matches before seeking an appointment with the ICC.
According to the ICC ruling, Ajmal is banned from bowling at the international level but can do so in domestic cricket in Pakistan.
The selectors also made several other changes to the squad with Mukhtar Ahmad, Umer Siddique, Zafar Gohar, Ahmad Jamal, Ziaul Haq, Mir Hamza and Zohaib Ahmed replacing Sharjeel Khan, Sami Aslam, Anwar Ali, Ehsan Adil, Mohammad Talha and Imran Khan.
Anwar was included in the national team taking on New Zealand in the ongoing ODI series after Bilawal Bhatti withdrew due to a hand injury.
‘Ajmal’s action will be assessed thoroughly’
A member of the selection committee and former Test opener, Shoaib Muhammad, feels that Ajmal’s induction will help in ascertaining his new action in the environs of a competitive match.
“Since matches are aired live, this game will provide a good opportunity for Ajmal to test out his action and the selectors and even the ICC can assess it,” he said. “The selectors feel that the last two games against Kenya will provide an ideal opportunity to ascertain the legality of his new action.”
The fourth and fifth match of the Pakistan A vs Kenya series will be played on December 19th and 20th. Pakistan A have already won the series after claiming the first three matches.