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Pakistan on Saturday recalled dashing all-rounder Shahid Afridi and opening batsman Imran Nazir for next month’s one-day series against South Africa getting underway with a Twenty20 game in Johannesburg on February 2.

Afridi and Nazir were joined by fit-again Abdul Razzaq and fast bowler Shabbir Ahmed along with left-arm spinner Abdul Rehman in a 17-man one-day squad for the series that would feature five ODIs to be played from February 4-14.

The lanky Shabbir makes a comeback in the squad after serving a 12-month ban for an illegal bowling action. Leg-spinner Danish Kaneria, middle order batsmen Faisal Iqbal and Asim Kamal and medium-pacer Shahid Nazir will return home after the final Test against South Africa currently under progress in Cape Town. Pacers Shoaib Akhtar and Umar Gul are already back from South Africa after suffering from injuries during the Test series.

Chief selector Wasim Bari believes it is the best possible combination in the current circumstances. “We have kept in mind that the World Cup is just weeks away while selecting these players for the one-day series,” Bari told ‘The News’.

“The onus is now on these players to prove their form and fitness in the coming games to keep their places in (Pakistan’s) World Cup squad,” he added. While Rehman was set to return to the team after an impressive debut in the home series against the West Indies last month, the duo of Razzaq and Shabbir needed to pass fitness tests which, according to Bari, they did.

However, the recall of Afridi and Imran — two of the more unreliable batsmen in Pakistan’s World Cup pool of players — is bound to raise a few eyebrows. Afridi, 26, has been in an awful run of form in the last year-and-a-half with the bat and did little to get back in the groove via the domestic competitions in recent weeks.

A seasoned one-day specialist with 4880 runs and 193 wickets from 234 one-day games, Afridi has scored at an average of less than 10 in his last 34 outings. However, Bari defended Afridi’s inclusion in the squad saying that he is a useful one-day player with a vast experience that cannot be ignored.

“Afridi has the talent and the experience and now has to perform. The onus is on him and he has to help himself now,” he said. The chief selector rejected the impression that Afridi has been picked on the demand of the team management. “The final decision is that of the selection committee,” he said.

It may be controversial but Afridi’s return was on the cards. The same, however, cannot be said about Imran Nazir. The 25-year-old from Gujranwala, who has scored 1392 runs from 60 one-day games at an average of 23.59, last played for Pakistan in the summer of 2004. In his last eight ODI matches he has scored a total of 121 runs with the highest being 33.

According to selectors, Imran has earned a recall on the back of a series of ‘impressive’ performances in a few domestic events and the Hong Kong Sixes tournament. However, Imran’s domestic form this season is far from spectacular, something that Bari acknowledged.

“But you must take into account that Imran Nazir is a brilliant fielder and a good one-day player. This is his chance to prove his selection right,” said Bari. The squad: Inzamam-ul-Haq (captain), Younis Khan (vice-captain), Mohammad Hafeez, Imran Farhat, Yasir Hameed, Imran Nazir, Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Yousuf, Shahid Afridi, Abdul Razzaq, Kamran Akmal (wk), Zulqarnain Haider (wk), Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, Mohammad Asif, Mohammad Sami, Shabbir Ahmed, Abdul Rehman.
Source:The News

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