The Hindu : Sport / Cricket : Inzamam in team for third Test

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Jan 26, 2006

Sport

Sport - Cricket

Inzamam in team for third Test

Special Correspondent

Faisalabad: Pakistan has major fitness concerns ahead of the third and final Test in Karachi, beginning on January 29. Skipper Inzamam-ul-Haq is fighting against time to recover from muscular spasms in his back.

And pace bowling spearhead Shoaib Akhtar is grappling with an ankle strain. The host has announced a 16-member squad for the Karachi Test, with middle-order batsman Faisal Iqbal and paceman Umar Gul roped in, principally as a cover for Inzamam and Akhtar.

A painful ankle troubled Akhtar in the series against England and this fitness concern has stayed with him. In this series, he has often bowled wearing an anklet. On the positive side for Pakistan, paceman Mohammed Sami has recovered from a bout of fever.

Malik bereaved

However, the squad is without opener Shoaib Malik, whose father passed away in Sialkot on Wednesday morning. Malik has opted out of the team to be with his family.

This suggests that Imran Farhat might open the Pakistan innings with Salman Butt. There is also the possibility of wicket-keeper batsman Kamran Akmal, who did the opener's job competently in the second innings here, continuing in the role.

Faisal Iqbal, who impressed in the tour game against India at Bagh-e-Jinnah, gets a look-in. The wristy batsman's selection was made easier due to the fact that his chief rivals for the middle-order berth, Hazan Raza and Asim Kamal, were ruled out due to different reasons.

The squad: Inzamam-ul-Haq (captain), Younis Khan (vice-captain), Salman Butt, Imran Farhat, Mohammad Yousuf, Faisal Iqbal, Shahid Afridi, Kamran Akmal (wk), Abdul Razzaq, Shoaib Akhtar, Danish Kaneria, Rana Naven-ul-Hasan, Mohammed Sami, Mohammed Asif, Arshad Khan, Umar Gul.

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