LAHORE, Nov 22: Uncapped rookie medium-pacers Mohammad Khalil and Mohammad Asif were on Monday named in a 17-man Pakistan cricket squad for the tour of Australia while one-time regular opener Taufiq Umar was relegated to the reserves' bench.

The selection of both Asif and the left-armer Khalil was widely anticipated once it became known that paceman Shabbir Ahmed, currently recuperating from a knee surgery, was not going to be fit in time to make the squad for the first leg of the tour featuring Tests in Perth (Dec 16-20), Melbourne (Dec 26-30) and Sydney (Jan 2-6).

The selectors, however, have taken a gamble in naming only one specialist wicket-keeper in the squad, Kamran Akmal, for such an exacting tour. A second wicket-keeper, instead of two rookie pacers, would have been a better option.

Wasim Bari, the chairman of selectors, termed the squad as well-balanced. "It (the squad) is a blend of youth and experience and I hope it will live up to our expectations although touring Australia is always a tough proposition," Bari told Dawn.

"This team has the potential to win matches against any team, including Australia. However, the boys are aware of the fact that it won't be an easy tour. "At the same time the youngsters in the side have a chance to establish themselves on a permanent basis," he added.

Bari reiterated that the squad was picked with the consensus of his fellow selectors Iqbal Qasim, Ehteshamuddin and Sultan Rana, and was the best lot which could give tough fight to the world champions.

The chief selector remarked that the induction of Khalil and Asif was to give these youngsters a chance to prove their worth in conditions which generally favour pace bowling.

"These lads had been doing quite well in domestic cricket and we thought that with Shabbir ruled out, this is the best opportunity for both of them to be tried since they are more deserving than other newcomers."

Lahore's Khalil, 22, has bagged 54 wickets in 19 first-class matches. He was also picked for the home Test series against Bangladesh last year, but did not play. Asif, also 22, hails from Sheikhupura and has been a regular member of the KRL team with more than 100 first-class wickets under his belt.

He had been the leading wicket-taker this season with a haul of 25 in five matches while representing Sialkot in the ongoing Quaid-i-Azam Trophy National Championship. On the omission of Taufiq, the left-handed opener who had not played any Test since the home series against India seven months ago, the former Pakistan captain could not come up with a satisfactory answer.

"Look, we opted for Yasir Hameed as an opener since he had done well in that role. The selection committee unanimously agreed to back Yasir's credentials. But we do feel sorry for Taufiq given his track record in Test cricket," Bari commented.

The selectors, however, may rue their decision of overlooking Taufiq because the only specialist openers in the Australia-bound squad are the left-handers Imran Farhat and Salman Butt, both still to prove at the highest level.

Left-hander Asim Kamal was preferred to Bazid Khan, who was also named among the reserves along with pacer Rao Iftikhar, as a backup to the experienced trio of skipper Inzamamul Haq, Yousuf Youhana and Younis Khan in the middle-order.

Shahid Afridi, included as the 17th member of the squad after the selectors decided to send an extra player to get acclimatised to the Australian conditions ahead of the one-day tri-series, is one of the three all-rounders in the party along with Shoaib Malik and Abdul Razzaq.

Fast bowlers Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Sami, along with medium-pacer Rana Naveedul Hasan, wicket-keeper Kamran Akmal and leg-spinner Danish Kaneria make up the touring party.

Bari said that there would be two changes in the 17-member squad before Pakistan face Australia and West Indies in the triangular tournament that follows the Test series.

SQUAD: Inzamamul Haq (captain), Yousuf Youhana (vice-captain), Salman Butt, Imran Farhat, Yasir Hameed, Younis Khan, Asim Kamal, Abdul Razzaq, Shoaib Malik, Kamran Akmal (wicket-keeper), Mohammad Sami, Shoaib Akhtar, Danish Kaneria, Rana Naveedul Hasan, Mohammad Asif, Mohammad Khalil, Shahid Afridi.