LAHORE: Fast bowler Mohammad Amir, one of the three tainted cricketers, has taken a giant step in connection with staging his comeback in international cricket after completing a five-year ban in a spot-fixing case as his name has been included in the list of 26 probables announced for a national fitness training camp starting on Dec 21 here at the Gaddafi Stadium.

Pakistan squad will be selected from the probables for the upcoming away series against New Zealand starting on Jan 15, and comprising three ODIs and as many T20s.

Moreover, the list of probables announced by the PCB on Friday also has had another prominent name in the shape of veteran fast bowler Umar Gul who is staging comeback after almost eight months. Both Amir and Umar have been recalled because other pacers in their absence have largely failed to impress.

It also deserves a mention that Umar was also included in the unannounced Pakistan squad for the proposed series against India which could not be held this December due to unresolved issues between both the boards.

As far as Amir is concerned, it may be mentioned that PCB chairman Shaharyar Khan in a recent media talk had said that the fast bowler had to sit with the senior players for counselling, besides stating that the Board wanted to further monitor his attitude before giving him a chance to play for Pakistan.

But now his name has been included in the list of probables which is a clear indication that the pacer has cleared all hurdles and may be able to make it to the national team if he passes the fitness test.

Notwithstanding, the way he excelled in the Bangladesh Premier League taking 14 wickets to be the only Pakistan player to steal the limelight, it is hard for anyone to raise any objection over his fitness too.

Two other Pakistan cricketers — former captain Salman Butt and fast bowler Mohammad Asif — who were banned in connection with the 2010 spot-fixing scandal have also been allowed by the PCB to play the upcoming National One-day Cup for Wapda next month which means that they are also looking forward to joining Pakistan team.

Four openers have also been included in the list of probables.

Besides struggling opener Ahmed Shehzad, Sharjeel Khan who threw up fine performance for Pakistan ‘A’ against England Lions in the recently-concluded series in the UAE has also been asked to attend the fitness camp. Sharjeel was the third main scorer for ‘A’ team with a tally of 108 runs.

However, selectors have ignored opener Imran Farhat who had decided against touring Zimbabwe in 2013 due to illness of his wife.

On the other hand, all-rounder Sohail Tanvir has finally been omitted from the list as he had been representing the country for the last one year despite having no significant performance.

“The main objective of the camp is to improve the overall physical fitness of all players and to enhance the technical aspect of each player’s game and to prepare them for the upcoming international events,” stated a PCB press release.

“PCB chairman Shaharyar Khan has approved the names of 26 players picked up by the PCB National Selection Committee for the fitness camp,” it stated.

“The players who are engaged in the QAT Super 08 Round have been granted permission to play their domestic matches scheduled between Dec 20 and 23, 2015. These players will join the training camp not later than Dec 24,” it further said.

Furthermore, head coach Waqar Younis has also reached Lahore from Australia to supervise the fitness camp. The head coach also had had a meeting with chief selector Haroon Rasheed to discuss the names of probables before finally handing them over to the PCB chairman.

Probables:

Ahmed Shehzad, Mohammad Hafeez, Sharjeel Khan, Azhar Ali, Shoaib Malik, Babar Azam, Iftikhar Ahmed, Umar Akmal, Asad Shafiq, Shahid Afridi, Sarfraz Ahmed, Mohammad Rizwan, Bilal Asif, Sohaib Maqsood, Amir Yamin, Wahab Riaz, Anwar Ali, Mohammad Irfan, Umar Gul, Rahat Ali, Junaid Khan, Rumman Raees, Imad Wasim, Yasir Shah, Saad Nasim, Mohammad Amir.

Published in Dawn, December 19th, 2015