LAHORE, Jan 17: A 15-member Pakistan team for the first two of the five One-day Internationals against Zimbabwe will be announced on Friday.

The national selection committee, headed by Salahuddin Ahmed, will be meeting at the Gaddafi Stadium for the purpose of finalising the squad.

The team is expected to be a blend of senior and junior players from among those who played in the four-day match against Zimbabwe in Karachi as well as the 21 currently training in the camp which also concludes on Friday.

The PCB has decided to induct young blood against minnows Zimbabwe and there are chances of at least five to six new hopefuls to find places in the 15-member squad. Openers Nasir Jamshed and Khalid Latif, medium-pacers Sohail Khan, Abdul Rauf and Samiullah Niazi and wicket-keeper/batsman Sarfraz Ahmed are likely to get the selectors’ nod for the ODI contest.

Although Nasir’s fine performance with the bat and Sohail’s with the leather in the four-day match in Karachi have brightened their prospects for selection, Abdul Rauf and Khalid Latif are also in contention for places in the team after their consistent show in the domestic games.

Khalid Latif was to play the one-day series on the last tour of India but could not find a place in the side. The selectors had also selected Abdul Rauf as a replacement for Shoaib Akhtar on the same tour but later Rao Iftikhar was flown out to fill the gap.

Nasir, however, may face fitness problems after being struck by a ball in the four-day game against Zimbabwe on Wednesday.

Also in contention is reserve wicketkeeper Sarfraz who can be groomed as a backup for Kamran Akmal.

And now that Shoaib Malik has confirmed his availability for the series, he along with Shahid Afridi and Fawad Alam will be taking care of the spin department as no other specialist spinners are likely to be named for the one-dayers against Zimbabwe. Salman Butt, Younis Khan, Mohammad Yousuf and Misbah-ul-Haq should be automatic selections in the side.

Likely squad: Salman Butt, Nasir Jamshed, Khalid Latif, Shoaib Malik (captain), Younis Khan, Mohammad Yousuf, Shahid Afridi, Fawad Alam, Kamran Akmal, Misbah-ul-Haq, Sarfraz Ahmed, Yasir Arafat, Sohail Tanvir, Rao Iftikhar, Samiullah Niazi, Abdul Rauf, Sohail Khan.