LAHORE: It seems personal likes and dislikes will again be part of the formula that will be employed for selecting the One-day International squad against New Zealand in the UAE, as again an extended 16-member squad is under consideration for the said series.

There are reports that the team will comprise 16 players for the five-match ODI series starting in Dubai on Dec 8. Though the PCB can afford the luxury of picking 16 players in order to take advantage of a ‘home’ series, it is feared that all is being done to adjust players of all the ‘major lobbies’ in the UAE-bound ODI party.

Interestingly, the selectors, for the two-Test series against Australia, also had opted for a 16-member squad, which was retained for the ongoing rubber against the Kiwis.

It is believed, openers Taufiq Umar and Shan Masood — despite having no significant performances to their credit in recent domestic outings — were selected to the Test side, apparently to satisfy Misbah and the PCB.

Now the same formula is being followed for the ODI squad, to adjust discarded Umar Akmal along with Sarfraz Ahmed.

Though Umar, a talented batsman who also keeps wickets, possesses the quality to win matches with belligerent batting, his present poor run of form in domestic cricket does not support his case.

One feels had the selectors picked Umar for Pakistan ‘A’ team’s recently held one-day series against the UAE, it could have given the them the right platform to judge diminutive right-handed batsman’s match fitness to decide his fate in the national ODI team.

Here it is pertinent to mention that Umar has been dropped from the ODI team despite the fact he had starting delivering a fairly good job as batsman and wicket-keeper too.

By axing him, however it is believed that specialist wicket-keeper Sarfraz Ahmed was adjusted for one-day duty.

Though Sarfraz proved his selection right — both as wicket-keeper and gutsy late-order batsman — but it seems now Umar’s lobby has again become active to get him back in the ODI team. So both Umar and Sarfraz are most likely to be included for the New Zealand one-dayers.

Moreover, there are reports that pacer Sohail Tanvir, who failed to help Pakistan get over the line in the last ODI against Australia in Abu Dhabi last month, scoring a 15-ball 10, as his team lost the game by one run, is most likely to regain his place in the ODI team.

The 29-year-old left-armer’s bowling stats in international cricket (70 wickets in 59 ODIs at 34.87, and 33 wickets in 40 T20 Internationals at 29.48) are nowhere near noteworthy, to say the least.

Surprisingly however, Sohail, who failed to get central contract by the PCB this year, has started the support of a powerful lobby as now he is being selected not only in the T20 but the ODI team, too.

Furthermore, it is learnt that seven batsmen are being included in the ODI squad including 254-match veteran Younis Khan, who has proved the selectors and head coach Waqar Younis wrong with his superb, record-breaking willow work in the back-to-back Test series against Australia and New Zealand in the UAE.

Earlier, the 36-year-old right-handed batsman had been axed from the Australia ODI series in the Gulf emirate, without any solid reason.

Besides Umar Akmal, other likely notable batsmen in the ODI team are Mohammad Hafeez, Ahmed Shehzad, Azhar Ali (who is known generally for his talent in Test cricket), Asad Shafiq, Misbah-ul-Haq and Fawad Alam.

The ODI squad is likely to comprise five pacers, two spinners and a wicket-keeper.

Published in Dawn, November 28th, 2014