England Tests: Hafeez included in Pakistan squad despite fitness concerns

Opener Mohammad Hafeez, who had injury concerns lately, was named in the Misbah-ul-Haq-led Pakistan Test squad for the upcoming away series against England, Inzamam-ul-Haq, the chief selector announced Sunday.

The right-hander underwent an MRI scan last week in Karachi, which revealed that the condition of his knee has not improved.

He missed a two-week-long fitness training programme at Pakistan Military Academy (Kakul), due to a knee injury sustained during the Asia Cup T20 earlier this year.

However, the 35-year-old managed to make his place in the 21-man probable list for the England tour which was announced last week.

His prospects of accompanying the team remained bleak after his medical report said his knee condition was 'unsatisfactory'.

Hafeez's inclusion raises questions as the Inzamam-led committee clearly put fitness as the most important criteria for selection.

A fitness test in Lahore, a fitness boot camp in Pakistan Military Academy in Kakul and a skill camp in Lahore again was conducted before the announcement of the squad.

Amir's selection depending on visa arrival

Pacer Mohammad Amir has been named in the Pakistan squad too but is still waiting for the arrival of his visa.

Amir's last visit to England saw him get involved in spot-fixing and serve a jail sentence which has cast doubts over his visa prospects.

While the Pakistan Cricket Board is confident that the issue will be resolved on time.

Pakistan will face England in four Tests, five ODIs and one T20 match in the tour which kicks off with the first Test on July 14.

Pakistan Test Squad

Misbah-ul-Haq (captain), Mohammad Hafeez (subject to fitness), Shan Masood, Sami Aslam, Azhar Ali, Younis Khan, Asad Shafiq, Iftikhar Ahmed, Sarfraz Ahmed, Mohammad Rizwan, Yasir Shah, Zulfiqar Babar, Mohammad Amir, Wahab Riaz, Rahat Ali, Sohail Khan, Imran Khan.

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Zem

Jun 05, 2016 05:09pm

Inzi!!! We did not expect these.You are not Man of Principal! !!(regd:Hefeez inclusion)

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Wasi Qureshi

Jun 05, 2016 05:14pm

What else i can say. Old wine in a new bottle.

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Mansha Sherazi

Jun 05, 2016 05:26pm

It does not have any repercussions to include Hafeez, we are relying on reports, but we do not know the time needed for getting fitness to the desired level by Hafeez. Such news are great to know that there is an opposite side of each picture.

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Shehzad

Jun 05, 2016 05:26pm

What was the point of fitness training when it did not incentivize players to be fit. Fawad Alam was fit but did not get selected and Hafeez vice versa.

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M Jamal

Jun 05, 2016 05:40pm

Inzi has no courage to dictate his term.He is yes man.We must not expect anything positive from him.

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Ali

Jun 05, 2016 05:47pm

Bowling unit looks very weak. Amir isn't still into gear for test cricket, Wahab is hit and miss, and Yasir also on a comeback trail. Rest of the bowlers haven't ever really performed and are there to make up the numbers. Middle order is the only strength of the squad. Even the best visiting openers struggle in English conditions, and this lot (with out without Hafeez) is borderline average at best.

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Mollyism

Jun 05, 2016 06:02pm

Finally some quality in the squad. Misbah and Younis the so called big guns have not played international level cricket for some time now, they may be fit but will find it hard to compete in their last English tour. Misbah has already stated he wishes to retire. Hafeez will have impact on the youngsters too, hopefully positive.

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Shahid

Jun 05, 2016 06:05pm

Baber Azam and Fawad Alam, both should have been in the squad. Yes Iftekhar can bowl a bit of low standard off spin, but in batting he is no where near the standards needed. Mohammad Hafiz is always a failure if the ball is moving, Baber should have replaced him.

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Desi

Jun 05, 2016 06:15pm

Not much in bowling to get England out twice in a match. Cook will have a good series against these bowlers. I bet he will score at least 2 centuries

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Omar

Jun 05, 2016 06:31pm

Something tells me that it's business as usual and secret hand is at play with hand inclusion. People like Hafeez ,Shoaib Malik have connections that unfortunately over ride cricket board decisions.

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Fez

Jun 05, 2016 06:34pm

What the hell, what a weak team. England will win hands down. Im going for 4-0. What happened to Junaid, anybody?

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Fez

Jun 05, 2016 06:41pm

@Omar Hafeez you can still say backs up the team. I guess his disgusting treatment of keeping Razzaq out the team a few years back will not be forgotten. But Shoaib Malik, he was terrible. A real cunning individual and led to many rifts.

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abdullah

Jun 05, 2016 06:42pm

After all you must realize the fitness bench mark Inzamam has been set as per his playing days...wait next week we will hear Umar Akmal & Shezad will be included since they have behaved well recently & have now passed the high standard of 'Inzi' discipline & fitness benchmark! And this is all happening just before our foreign PR coach arrives in town who has already set high stall with a number of press releases b4 his arrival whilst Inzi has recently said the coach will be part of the selection.....doesn't his monkey circus seems very familiar?

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Syed

Jun 05, 2016 06:45pm

@Ali , So what options do we have? There is nothing good on the domestic scene. This is probably the best of the lot, so I would say decent bowling selection. We have a problem of not having any strike bowlers at all. Gul, Junaid have both been suffering performance wise. Other than Amir and Sohail khan and probably Yasir, I doubt the rest will do anything noteworthy.

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Salma Shahid

Jun 05, 2016 06:49pm

A recipe for failure. Absence of Junaid Khan and Baber Azam will be decisive. Fawad Alam, the fittest and with the best averages in first class is facing what Misbah faced before being selected for Pakistan. Hafeez is always a failure when facing quality swing bowling. My choice would have been as follows: Shan Masood, Sami Aslam, Baber Azam, Younis, Misbah, Asad Shafiq, Sarfraz, Yasir Shah, Wahab, Mohammas Amir, Junaid Khan. And in reserves, I had; Rahat Ali, Zulfiqar Baber, Fawad Alam, Hafeez, Rizwan and Mohammad Irfan.

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Waseem Sarwar

Jun 05, 2016 06:56pm

Didn't Hafeez scored a 150 against England in his last test innings and won Pakistan that match and series while rest of the team collapsed. How on earth are we going to drop him? if people are targeting him on his last south Africa series, Sarfraz failed to score 50 runs in three tests but I see no one crying on his selection. Hafeez will struggle in England so will all of our top order. None of Pakistani batsmen have looked comfortable bar Azhar Ali. Sohail Khan is a questionable choice but hopefully Imran Khan will play ahead of him.

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Yasir

Jun 05, 2016 07:35pm

@Fez Junaid has similar sort of record as Aamir across all formats. Not to forget that Aamir has played in Australia, England & NZ on fast pitches whereas Junaid only played in Subcontinent. Yet their records are similar. He's unlucky to be left out. Deserved a place over the rest of Punjab Brigade (wahab, rahat)

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LOUDSPEAKER

Jun 05, 2016 08:10pm

Do not expect miracles from this Pakistan Cricket Team. They are going to be outclassed by Alaister Cook's England side.

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Chishti

Jun 05, 2016 08:11pm

Fit unfit, hafeez is not a good choice in swinging conditions. Remember inswingers from Style. These selectors are not that smart! Another 5 years of incipientence, then they get fired. Sigh!

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Fez

Jun 05, 2016 08:11pm

@Yasir I think Junaid is better and more of a tryer than the rest of these bowlers put together. He bowls the inswinger, outswinger, bouncer with ease. His yorker is just too good and he bowls this at will. Its just disgusting to see him left out.

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Nazir

Jun 05, 2016 08:38pm

Back to the old games. Or did we really expect a change? Nothing can, or will change as long as the old fogies in the cricket board remain in place. And Inzimam as chief selector? The guy put so much emphasis on fitness, then took a summersault, left out Fawad Alam, the fittest guy in the army boot camp, and selects and old unfit Hafeez. What difference does it make, we're gonna get pounded in any case.

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Asif Jamil

Jun 05, 2016 09:39pm

I think, maybe except a few seniors, this batting side will struggle in England. Amir has been there before, but I hope the bowlers quickly get used to English conditions. I remember when Wasim and Waqar destroyed England in England (by reverse swing) and the English were blaming them for ball tampering, Geofrey Boycott defended them and said, these two can bowl England out with an orange! I hope, these boys can go through English batting too.

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Mano billi

Jun 05, 2016 10:18pm

@Waseem Sarwar you mean his inclusion is justified despite his knee injury? If that is the case, why did the players have to go through the training drill at Kakul? Waste of time , energy, resources? Inzi is no different than other PCB officials who have brought Pak cricket to the verge of extinction......

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Waseem Sarwar

Jun 05, 2016 10:48pm

@Mano billi , When physio declares you fit,, you can't be dropped on fitness. Hafeez has a month or so to train properly and we all know that he won' be at same fitness level of other players but we don't really have a choice. Not a single oppener from domestic has performed in ages. You can see people like Iftikhar selected who should be replaced with Fawad but that's our current state of cricket.

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Ali Khan

Jun 05, 2016 11:12pm

Hafeez must be given PhD for being selected every time. His form against swing and pace is nothing but absolute zero. I am amazed what safarish he got, which bring him into team every time. I am sure, even he is in hospital, he will be selected. Amazing!

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RIZ

Jun 05, 2016 11:48pm

For God sake start trusting on your young talent like Imran Khan did you on Inzi. If Imran and Miandad would have not given opportunities to youngsters like you Wasim, Waqar, Aaqib, Mushtaq and list goes on no one know you right now.

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Jun 06, 2016 01:19am

Inzi - Fawad Alam didn'deserve this from you.

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Philosopher (from Japan)

Jun 06, 2016 03:22am

Friendship over country's reputation. Moving in reverse direction.

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Jun 06, 2016 03:41am

Does it matte, the answer is NO, because even if he plays than Anderson will not let him play under these conditions. Anderson and Broad will be handful for him. He had trouble with Steyn in the past with the out swinger and now his hands are full and he will be facing one of the best swing bowler and that too under English conditions, Hafiz is already in trouble

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Muslim Medina

Jun 06, 2016 04:49am

Disappointed. That is all I can say.

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Najaf

Jun 06, 2016 07:59am

Well done inzamam, you proved it you only talk big , all these people who were thinking we finally got rid of Akmal, Afradi and Shazed mark my words they will be back in one days and t20. Hafeez is going to remain unfit because he is afraid of English bowlers. For one thing I am glad that inzamam is not sending lot of new players to England tour , it is very difficult to play there so career of new young players is safe. And now finally whole Pakistan will get to see how good Misbah and Younis are, both of them has scored thousands of runs in UAE , so are they good enough to score in England. I don't think both of them scoring any century in any test if either one score a fifty that will be an achievement.

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H.H Shah

Jun 06, 2016 09:03am

wait for sometime & Umar Akmal & Ahmed Shehzad will come to sqaud as well

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Asif Jamil

Jun 06, 2016 11:14am

@RIZ Imran was a master in spotting talent. Whereas, Inzi did not have confidence in his own talent. It was Imran who told him how talented he was and to get out there and play his game.

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Fahad

Jun 06, 2016 12:44pm

@Mollyism quality I think you misread the lineup completely.

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Fahad

Jun 06, 2016 12:51pm

People need to stand up to the cricket board and question them for not selecting Fawad Alam time and again. Surprisingly no one in the media even raises such an important issue and let the cricket board dictate selection policy based on demerits. Are we ever going to learn to speak up and stand up for others or we are always going to be a crowd.

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#3Batsman

Jun 06, 2016 01:21pm

This guy (Hafeez) knows there is Big money on the tour due to 4 test. 5 odiz and 1 T20 so taking the usual favour from his old buddy Misbah he has again forced his way into the team knowing he is technically flawed and wont be able to handle pace and swing on this tour! He also feats that Shan Masood and Sami Aslam have the abilities and age to perform which will permanently ckise Test cricket doors on him! Alas! Politics has destroyed our cricket!!!!!

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Riaz

Jun 06, 2016 03:00pm

Don't be foolish with arbitrary comments without knowing the facts. What the policy is based on is normal fitnes....i.e exlcudimg injury. I would say in normal circumstances Hafeez is fitter then most in the team....with the injuries....the assumption is he is normally fit and hopefully he will recover from his injury. Pak needs all possible batsmen for selection. With regard to Shezad and Umar, the issue was totally different,,even though Akmal's fitness for his age is less than ideal.

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Laeeq Ahmed

Jun 06, 2016 03:13pm

@Wasi Qureshi Well you know old wine is more costly.

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mohammad iqbal

Jun 06, 2016 03:23pm

@Shehzad . Hafeesz(punjab) Fawad ( karachi ) understand

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optimist

Jun 06, 2016 09:49pm

Inzimam will ruin the careers of Sarfaraz and Asad Shafiq like he did for Asim Kamal. The most dependable middle order batsman Fawad Alam is not in the team but the injured Hafeez and poor performer Iftikhar is in the team. Players like Anwar Ali, Khurram Manzoor, Khalid Latif, Mohammad Sami have no future. Why Rizwan and Iftikhar are considered beats me.

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Goyake Khan

Jun 06, 2016 10:17pm

No, we are not surprised to see the exclusion of Alam (FC Bat Ave: 56.71) & Sadaf Hussain (FC Bowl Ave: 18.46). I want to see them playing against us like Imran Tahir.

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optimist

Jun 07, 2016 04:06am

@Shahid Sir this selection committee is no different from previous selection committees.

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Chishti

Jun 07, 2016 08:44am

@Waseem Sarwar on the roads of UAE, anyone can score in a while. Dare to look at Hafeez's record on any green top wicket to warrant a long career - only in Punjab Cricket Board.

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Truth

Jun 07, 2016 08:47am

@Goyake Khan nepotism of PCB & no parchi for Fawad & Sadaf. Third strike is that they are not from Punjab...

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