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Pakistan are considering to delay the announcement of their 15-man squad for next month’s World Cup by a day following reports that pace star Shoaib Akhtar might not be available for the assignment in the Caribbean islands.

A PCB official said on Sunday that the World Cup squad might not be named today as announced earlier to allow the team management and the selectors more time to agree on a final line-up. The ICC has set February 13 (tomorrow) as the deadline for the announcement of final World Cup squads.

Pakistan, grappling with a long list of injuries to key players, requested the ICC to extend the deadline for them by a week but the game’s governing body turned down the plea. The PCB renewed its plea on Saturday but was once again given the thumbs down.

The Pakistanis received further bad news on Sunday when their unfit pacer Shoaib Akhtar revealed that he is carrying a knee injury that might need surgery. Fellow pacers Umar Gul, Mohammad Sami and Shabbir Ahmed are also on the injury list. For the selectors, picking a 15-man squad that is strong enough to win the coveted title is very tricky job especially in the current circumstances.

Chief selector Wasim Bari is currently in South Africa where he has had a series of meetings with Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq, coach Bob Woolmer and other senior officials to discuss the World Cup combination.
Source:The News