February 14, 2007	Wednesday	Muharram 25, 1428

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LAHORE, Feb 13: With big question marks pertaining to fitness-doping against their names, pacers Shoaib Akhtar, Umar Gul and Mohammad Asif were on Tuesday named in Pakistan’s 15-member squad for the World Cup which commences in the Caribbean Islands from March 13.

The dope-tainted pace duo of Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif along with Umar Gul, who is currently on the injuries list, finally received the nod from selectors who said the fast bowlers would only travel to the West Indies "subject to passing their fitness tests to be conducted later.”

Shoaib, who is presently in England to have a second opinion on his aching knee, was a doubtful starter for the World Cup this week but the selectors sprung a surprise by naming the express pacer in Tuesday’s squad.

His selection, along with fellow pacer Mohammad Asif, was also under a cloud owing to the risk they face in getting a ‘life ban’ in case they test positive again for the banned sunbstance, nandrolone ahead of the World Cup.

But with selectors facing an uphill task of announcing the World Cup 15 before the Feb 13 ICC deadline, they had little choice but to name the best possible squad despite the risks attached to some of the players over their fitness, form and doping status.

Pakistan Cricket Board’s Director Operations, Saleem Altaf said Pakistan had already received the permission from the ICC to replace injured players prior to the start of the World Cup in case they fail the fitness test.

"Their injuries will be assessed in due course of time," Saleem told reporters. “We have an option of replacing the injured players from the ICC.”

Saleem, however, did not say how long the PCB would wait for the fitness of the three fast bowlers.

"Shoaib is in England for reassessment on his knee," he said. "If he says he is unfit he will be replaced." Umar Gul's MRI scan, according to the senior PCB official, has shown progress but the final decision on the players' fitness will be taken by the PCB's medical team.

As for the doping problem, Saleem had a simple answer to offer: "Screening of the players will be done in dope tests but it's our secret procedure," he said. "If anyone tests positive we will deal with it accordingly. In short, we will cross the bridge when it comes."

According to experts, Pakistan can afford to take the field without Shoaib and Asif during the first round matches in World Cup against the West Indies, Ireland and Zimbabwe and is likely to qualify for the Super Eight stage without them from Group-D.

It is the Super Eight stage, which begins from March 27, that will require their skills and the selectors believe they would have had ample time to recover from their problems by then.

If reports from the team management in South Africa are to be believed, Asif has apparently been suffering from an elbow problem since the Cape Town game. The management claims that Asif played after taking pain-killing injections in the fourth ODI and is likely to be rested on Wednesday at Johannesburg.

The only surpises in the squad are leg-spinner Danish Kaneria and paceman Rao Iftikhar. Both the players have been ignored for the on-going one-day series in South Africa and though Iftikhar was sent as late replacement of injured Shabbir Ahmed, he is yet to play a game in South Africa.

With Pakistan batting not really coming off on the current tour, the selectors faced a huge challenge in striking the right balance for the challenging event in the Caribbeans. Apart from Mohammad Yousuf’s prolific batting and occasional brilliance of Younis Khan, most of the top order players including captain Inzamam-ul-Haq (four matches, 74 runs, average 24.66), Imran Nazir (three matches, 70 runs, average 23.33), Mohammad Hafeez (one match, 21 runs), Kamran Akmal (four matches, 22 runs, average 5.50) have struggled in the current series.Even the all-rounders, barring the tenacious, Shoaib Malik have failed to deliver with Shahid Afridi, Abdul Razzaq, and Rana Naved not really finding their feet on the tour. Afridi also stands to miss the first two matches of the World Cup due to the four-match ban imposed by the ICC recently.

There were, however, no surprises in the squad as far as batting is concerned. The selectors also kept faith with wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal despite his chequered recent form with the gloves and bat.

Squad: Inzamam-ul-Haq (captain), Younis Khan (vice-captain), Imran Nazir, Mohammad Hafeez, Mohammad Yousuf, Shoaib Malik, Abdul Razzaq, Shahid Afridi, Kamran Akmal (wicket-keeper), Umar Gul, Shoaib Akhtar, Mohammad Asif, Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, Danish Kaneria, Rao Iftikhar.

Dawn’s predictions spot on!

Although Pakistan’s World Cup squad was revealed only on Tuesday afternoon, predictions made by Dawn in its edition the same morning on the selections were spot on.

Dawn’s Sports Reporter Khalid H. Khan had tipped Rao Iftikhar, considered an unlikely selection, to make the squad along with Test leg-spinner Danish Kaneria, who seldom plays in One-day Internationals.