27 October 2004	Wednesday	12 Ramazan 1425

KARACHI, Oct 26: Bruised and battered by Sri Lanka in the Faisalabad Test, Pakistan are likely to gamble with uncapped pace bowlers Rana Naveedul Hasan and Riaz Afridi in a desperate bid to square the two-match series.

Naveed, who has so far played in One-day Internationals, is virtually guaranteed a place in the playing XI for Thursday's second Test at the National Stadium after fast bowler Mohammad Sami was ruled out of the match with a groin injury.

Haroon Rasheed, the Pakistan team manager, confirmed on Tuesday that Sami was being rested for the tour of Australia that starts in the third week of November.

"The doctors are monitoring his injury at the moment. It has been decided not to risk Sami in the Karachi Test as a precautionary measure. We can't afford him to miss the tour to Australia," Haroon told reporters during the team's practice session at the National Stadium nets.

With Moin Khan already dropped following a poor showing in the first Test, with Kamran Akmal drafted in to replace him behind the stumps, the team management is contemplating giving Riaz Afridi, who has yet to play in a senior international, his first Test cap in place of all-rounder Abdul Razzaq.

The fourth change expected could be the inclusion of batsman Younis Khan at the expense of Asim Kamal, who failed in both innings at Faisalabad in the unaccustomed No 3 slot.

The likely Pakistan team could be: Yasir Hameed, Imran Farhat, Younis Khan, Inzamamul Haq (captain), Yousuf Youhana, Shoaib Malik, Kamran Akmal, Riaz Afridi, Rana Naveedul Hasan, Shoaib Akhtar, Danish Kaneria.