August 10, 2003	Sunday	Jumadi-us-Sani 11, 1424

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LAHORE, Aug 9: Although the Bangladesh team is not a formidable side, Pakistan will still play positive cricket in the forthcoming home series, according to skipper Rashid Latif.

Talking to reporters on Saturday after the first day of the training camp at National Cricket Academy’s indoor school, Rashid said that Bangladesh series will be a good build-up for the more ‘tougher’ series against South Africa and New Zealand later this year.

He pointed out that new players like Mohammad Hafeez, Yasir Hameed and Umar Gul have yet to prove their talent at Test level where they have never played.

He said that Pakistan will be playing first Test after World Cup and hopefully the entire team would play with a positive frame of mind.

He wished Inzamam-ul-Haq will resume his career after a bad patch with a century against Bangladesh.

Rashid recalled that Inzamam’s last knock on home soil was 329 against New Zealand in the Lahore Test last year and a similar type of performance could give the burly right-hander a good boost.

He hailed the decision of calling up paceman Shoaib Akhtar in place of the injured fast bowler Mohammad Sami since team wanted a strike bowler and Shoaib is the appropriate choice.

The Pakistan captain disclosed that Shoaib had been exempted from the training camp and he would join the squad on Aug 17 from England. Meanwhile, all-rounder Shoaib Malik will attend the camp most probably from Monday.

Rashid said that he had no plans to call it a day and would continue playing the game until he deemed it fit.

Pakistan coach Javed Miandad was unable to report at the camp because he is attending to his ailing mother in Karachi. However, he is expected to join the camp from Sunday.

In Miandad’s absence, Pakistan manager Haroon Rashid supervised the camp which had to be shifted from Gaddafi Stadium to the NCA indoor school because of rains.

Among other absentees, apart from Shoaib Akhtar and Shoaib Malik, are medium-pacer Jaffar Nazir and Kamran Akmal. Jaffar will report from Sunday, while Kamran is stuck up in Ireland because of non-availability of his passport.