LAHORE, Aug 7: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has shifted the remaining two trial matches for the selection of the national team for the ICC Champions Trophy from Lahore to Multan due to rain and cloudy weather.
The 50-over-a-side matches will be played under floodlights on Friday and Saturday. The first trial match was washed out on Aug 5 and constant rainy weather in Lahore forced the board to shift the remaining two matches.
After the trial matches, the selectors will announce a 15-member squad for the trophy which will be held in Pakistan from Sept 11 to 28.
Meanwhile, the PCB also reduced the list of 40 probables to 27 for Multan, excluding all the academy players.
The National Cricket Academy, in order to test their own players during the trials had included as many as 10 players.
Among the 27 probables named for Multan, the only top player missing is all-rounder Shahid Afridi who is likely to appear in the last trial match after proving his match fitness. The name of opener Salman Butt, who underwent an appendicitis surgery recently is also not included but he will be considered for selection.
Moreover, Bazid Khan and Azhar Ali also joined the probables after reaching home from England. However, their chances are remote since both have not appeared for dope tests, a mandatory condition for the selection. Prolific batsman Younis Khan is also likely to join the probables from Karachi.
The most important task of the selectors is to judge the match-fitness of fast bowlers Shoaib Akhar and Umar Gul. Shoaib is appearing in competitive matches after almost nine months while Umar, who had sustained a rib injury during the pool match of Asia Cup against India at Karachi on June 26, is still not looking comfortable during practice sessions. It is likely that Umar will play the last trial match.
Both the matches are 50-overs-a-side and will be held under floodlights.
Probables:
Shoaib Malik (captain), Nasir Jamshed, Khalid Latif, Khurram Manzoor, Ahmed Shehzad, Yasir Hameed, Younus Khan, Misbah-ul-Haq, Azhar Ali, Bazid Khan, Sohail Tanveer, Fawad Alam, Mohammad Hafeez, Mansoor Amjad, Shoaib Akhtar, Umar Gul, Mohammad Ali, Rao Iftikhar, Sohail Khan, Abdur Rauf, Wahab Riaz, Anwar Ali, Mohammad Aamir, Sarfraz Ahmed, Abdul Rehman, Saeed Ajmal, Kamran Akmal.
