Shoaib omitted for Bangladesh tour

Left-armer Sohail Tanvir benefits from the decision to drop Shoaib Akhtar for the Bangladesh series

Pakistan selectors have named three uncapped players in a 16-man squad for the tour of Bangladesh starting next week.

Opening batsman Ahmed Shehzad, leg-spinner Yasir Shah and fast bowler Mohammad Amir are all named in the squad for two Twenty20 games and five one-dayers, but fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar is left out.

Left-arm seamer Sohail Tanvir, who was dropped for the Test series against Sri Lanka, is recalled.

Shoaib was dropped following a poor performance in the first two matches of the one-day series against Sri Lanka and subsequently suffered a knee injury.

Chief selector Abdul Qadir said Shoaib was overlooked because he did prove match fitness.

“I had asked Shoaib to play in a domestic match last month, but somehow he didn't play in that match,” Qadir said. “He will have to attain full fitness before he can be considered.

“We have included some youngsters for this series with an eye on the
future.”

The first game, a Twenty20 match in Mirpur is scheduled for March 10. There is a second 20-over match in Mirpur, before three more ODIs at the Shere Bangla National Stadium. There are two more ODIs in Chittagong afterwards.

Pakistan squad: Younus Khan (captain), Salman Butt, Shahid Afridi, Nasir Jamshed, Ahmed Shahzad, Misbah-ul-Haq, Shoaib Malik, Kamran Akmal (wkt), Fawad Alam, Umar Gul, Sohail Tanvir, Mohammad Amir, Yasir Arafat, Yasir Shah, Iftikhar Anjum, Sarfraz Ahmed.