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Inzamam-ul-Haq has backtracked on the issue of selecting a replacement for injured medium pacer Rana Naved-ul-Hasan for the Test series against England.

A day after announcing that uncapped medium pacer Samiullah Niazi would fill in for Rana, the Pakistan captain said on Sunday morning that a final decision on the replacement player would be made in the next few days.

“We would decide on this issue only after getting a final report on Rana’s injury. Once it becomes clear that he (Rana) cannot play in the Tests because of his groin injury then we would decide on a replacement after seeing for ourselves, the playing conditions in England,” Inzamam told reporters at the Jinnah Terminal before the national team’s departure for England.

Inzamam had earlier said that left-arm pacer Samiullah Niazi would be included in the Pakistan squad as its 16th man because Rana has been ruled out of the Test series because of a groin problem.

His statement came as a surprise for chief selector Wasim Bari who made it clear that it is the national selection committee that would take a decision on Rana’s replacement.

He had said that skipper Inzamam and coach Bob Woolmer can only recommend a certain player but they had no authority to directly include any member in the Pakistan squad. The young Samiullah, however, remains a strong candidate to join the national team in England. Also in the run is veteran leg-spinner Mushtaq Ahmed.
Source:The News