No squad despite hours of deliberation

Tanvir misses out on tour, manager content with week-long training camp.

LAHORE: The Pakistan selection committee, after hours of deliberation at the Gadaffi Stadium yesterday, decided against naming the One-Day International (ODI) squad for the tour of New Zealand as well as the preliminary squad for next year’s World Cup which is due to start in February.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) meeting included members of the Integrity Committee and according to officials, the failure to get clearance for Kamran Akmal and Shoaib Malik from the International Cricket Council (ICC) forced the delay.

While the board had not set yesterday as the announcement day but the two squads were widely expected to be named.

According to details received by The Express Tribune, the PCB is ensuring all the necessary measures to include the duo in the squad, ICC clearance permitting.

The PCB, according to officials, has been advised by the ICC against picking the duo as well as leg-spinner Danish Kaneria in the 30-man preliminary squad. All three players appeared before the committee headed by the PCB Chairman Ijaz Butt pleading their case following a strong performance in the Quaid Trophy this season. Akmal and Malik were overlooked for the series against South Africa in the UAE while Kaneria was stopped from joining the squad for the Test series without any reason a day before his departure.

Tanvir out of New Zealand tour

Pakistan’s injury prone fast-bowler Sohail Tanvir has been ruled out of the upcoming tour of New Zealand with a knee injury.

He has been plagued with injuries since bursting onto the international scene at the 2007 World Twenty20 which Pakistan lost in the final.

His last appearance for Pakistan came over twelve months ago, against New Zealand in Dubai.

Tanvir, 26, underwent knee surgery earlier this year and has been struggling to recover in the nine months.

However, he was included in the Twenty20 and Test squad for the tour subject to fitness but failed to convince the team management on the final day of the camp. Middle-order batsman Asad Shafiq has been brought in for the three Twenty 20 internationals.

“Tanvir has been left out because he is not fully fit,” team manager Intikhab Alam told reporters. “He showed some improvement but he was struggling while fielding. Therefore batsman Shafiq has been inducted into the Twenty20 squad but the selectors will decide on who will replace Tanvir in the Test squad.

“Since we’ve been mainly emphasising on fitness, we’re reluctant to risk any unfit player.”

Training camp concludes, manager content with show

“Naturally, New Zealand has different pitches but the tour isn’t that difficult, especially the way it has been portrayed,” said Alam after the conclusion of the week-long camp in Lahore.

“New Zealand are presently under great pressure and lack confidence after losing to Bangladesh and India in their ODI series and I think we have a good chance of beating them in the coming series.”

Alam added that he was fully satisfied with the players’ workout and show in the camp, as well as input from former captain Javed Miandad who was hired as the squad’s batting and fielding consultant for the camp.

“I am satisfied from our one-week training camp. Things look good as the coaches have done a lot of hard work with the players. After fitness, special emphasis was made in the fielding department without neglecting the batting and bowling department.”

Published in The Express Tribune, December 16^th, 2010.