May 25, 2007	Friday	Jamadi-ul-Awwal 08, 1428

DHAKA, May 24: Bangladesh paceman Mashrafe Mortaza will replace Pakistan's Shoaib Akhtar in Asia's squad for next month's Afro-Asia Cup tournament, an official said on Thursday.

“We have picked up Mashrafe to replace Shoaib Akhtar in the Asia squad,” A.S.M. Faruque, a member of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) selection committee, said.

Shoaib, who missed Pakistan's World Cup debacle due to injury, was dropped from the squad after failing to recover from the knee problem that has restricted him to one Test and four One-day International appearances in the last 14 months.

Mashrafe becomes Bangladesh's second representative in the 14-member Asian squad after the inclusion of left-arm spinner Mohammad Rafique.

The Asian side has been picked by the ACC selection committee made up of nominees from all four Asian Test-playing nations; India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. Sri Lanka's Mahela Jayawardene will captain the side.

The Afro-Asia Cup one-day matches between combined teams from the Asian and African continents will be played in Bangalore on June 6 and Chennai on June 9 and 10.

Conceived as a fundraiser for the African Cricket Association and the ACC, the inaugural edition in South Africa in 2005 ended 1-1. The series will be preceded by a Twenty-20 match in Bangalore on June 5.—Reuters