DUBAI, July 28: Asian squad for high-profile inaugural limited-overs cricket series against African XI to be played next month in South Africa will be selected in Dubai on Aug 1. The Asian selection committee comprises three former Test players – Ravi Shastri of India, Pakistan’s Majid Khan and Graeme Labrooy of Sri Lanka — and Bangladesh’s Shafiqul Islam.

Selectors will be arriving in Dubai on July 31.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has already given official status to annual three-game series, primarily aimed at providing funds to Asian and African cricket associations.

The first game of series, boasting $100,000 in prize money, will be played at Cape Town on Aug 17. According to the agreement, 70 percent of net profit from matches would go to hosting continent and 20 percent to visiting side while 10 percent would go to a specially created charity for promotion of cricket in two continents.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), meanwhile, has left it up to its players to decide if they want to play in the series.

“No player would be pressed to play the matches. We’ll ask them (players) if they want to make themselves available, but if any player wants to skip the event it’s all right with us,” Saleem Altaf, PCB Director Cricket Operations said.

Pakistani players don’t have any commitments until October when England tour Pakistan apart from those like Shoaib Akhtar, Younis Khan and Danish Kaneria who are playing in English county cricket.

Saleem, however, said he was hopeful that best players from all the countries would be able to represent Asian XI.—Agencies