Pakistan chief selector Iqbal Qasim has said the national selection committee has put a lot of thought into selecting eight batsmen, a wicket-keeper and seven bowlers for the Champions Trophy in England next month, dispelling the impression by experts that the chosen squad lacked quality batsmen.
The squad will exclude flagging veterans Younis Khan, Umar Akmal and Shahid Afridi, Dawn.com reports.
The former Pakistan captain Mushtaq Mohammad has said that the selectors should have kept Pakistan’s recent performance in South Africa in mind and incorporated one more batsman rather than including five fast bowlers.
However, Qasim said that he believes the final XI will form a balanced team despite the inclusion of not-in-form Kamran Akmal and struggling all-rounder Shoaib Malik, to which former batsman Salahuddin Ahmed has commented that this is the most unbalanced squad ever selected for tour of England, saying that the squad includes only three openers in Mohammad Hafeez, Imran Farhat and Nasir Jamshed, and two genuine batsmen in Misbah-ul-Haq and Asad Shafiq.
Qasim has strongly reiterated that the squad includes a combination of both young and experienced batsmen and bowlers as he has faith that Malik and Kamran will play with their experience and past track record. (ANI)