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Pakistan’s new chief selector Saleem Jaffer on Wednesday said the form and fitness of Shoaib Akhtar, Shahid Afridi, Umar Gul and Sohail Tanvir would be closely watched during the Pentangular Cup, which begins from October 25 at different venues in the country.

Jaffer, who was recently appointed chairman of the interim selection committee, said the four players had appeared in the Twenty20 tournament in Toronto but the event was not enough to properly assess their form and fitness.

The selectors don’t think Twenty20 cricket is the right format to judge a player’s output and fitness. In Toronto, we noticed some issues with these players. We are still not sure if Shoaib is 100 per cent match-fit, Afridi is struggling with his batting form, Umar Gul has come back after an injury and Sohail was not impressive in Toronto, Jaffer said.

Jaffer, himself a former Test pacer, said after a meeting with the new PCB Chairman Ijaz Butt, the selectors were assured they can act independently and should not compromise on discipline or fitness with any player.

So the Pentangular tournament’s opening matches would be a good platform for these players to convince everyone about their form and fitness and retain their places in the national team for the upcoming one-day series against the West Indies in Abu Dhabi, Jaffer added.

Shoaib Akhtar returned to international cricket after a nearly ten-month layoff due to fitness and disciplinary issues and he struggled in the Toronto event final conceding 40 runs in three overs against Sri Lanka.

The Pentangular Cup will feature all the top players in the country representing their provincial sides.

Source:Cricket News

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