KARACHI, Oct 27: Australia, undisputed world champions at both Test and one-day level, have different teams as well as separate captains for both versions of cricket.

Steve Waugh was relieved of one-day captaincy after Australia failed to make the finals of their annual triangular series earlier this year.

Waugh, undoubtedly one of the finest skippers, was instrumental in leading his country to World Cup title in England in 1999. He enjoyed great success in both forms of the sport, having led Australia to an unparalleled 16 straight Test victories and just recently masterminded the whitewash of Pakistan.

But the Australian selectors, mind you not the cricket board, felt that age was catching up with Waugh and installed Ricky Ponting as the one-day leader to give the Tasmanian a head start before he takes his side to defend its World Cup crown in South Africa and Zimbabwe.

On the other hand, Sri Lanka, India, South Africa, New Zealand, West Indies and England are still persisting with one captain for both segments in the lead-up to the World Cup.

But in sharp contrast to Pakistan, all these countries field virtually different sets of players when they play either Tests or one-day. They are known as specialists of one art or the other.

India, for instance, have come of age as a one-day side this year and are one of the serious contenders for next year’s World Cup mainly because they have put their faith in young players like Mohammad Kaif and Yuvraj Singh. These two were instrumental in India’s clinching the triangular series in the English summer this year. And such is the strength of the Indian side that both Kaif and Yuvraj just can’t find their way into the Test XI.

Pakistan’s squads, which were named Saturday, for the tour of Zimbabwe are almost similar except that Hasan Raza and Mohammad Sami are not in the one-day contingent of 16 while Wasim Akram, Azhar Mahmood and Misbah-ul-Haq were not included in the 15-man Test party.

Saeed Anwar and Moin Khan, two men whose exclusions from both squads took everyone by surprise, have every right to feel aggrieved as well as Danish Kaneria, Imran Farhat and Rana Naveed-ul-Hasan. The last name was not given a proper trial.

And those who failed in that ridiculous so-called one-day trial fixture in Lahore on Friday can count themselves extremely lucky to make the squads.

How does Wasim Bari, the powerless chairman of selectors, justify the inclusion of Shahid Afridi and Saleem Elahi as two of the three openers in both squads.

Saleem’s reappearance is all the more surprising since he did nothing extraordinary after being put in the cold storage at the end of Pakistan’s tour of England last year. His track record at Test level is miserable, having scored only 310 runs in nine matches at 19.37. In 28 One-day Internationals, the 26-year-old had made 805 runs at 30.96 per innings. His solitary century (102 not out) was scored on debut against Sri Lanka seven year ago.

Afridi’s record is respectable enough as compared to Saleem’s in both forms — 3783 runs, 118 wickets in 164 ODIs and 780 runs, 21 wickets in 14 Tests).

If Waqar Younis, the Pakistan captain, says that Afridi is more suited to one-day cricket then why pick him in the Test squad?

Lt Gen Tauqir Zia, the Pakistan Cricket Board chairman, has made it obvious to everyone that Pakistan will from now onwards have two different teams to suit the requirements of both Tests and One-day Internationals.

If the two squads were picked on the basis of performance this year, then only Inzamam-ul-Haq (630 Test runs in 2002 and 517 one-day runs), Yousuf Youhana (588 runs in Tests and 828 in ODIs), Younis Khan (643 Test runs and 870 ODI runs) are certain selections among the batsmen.

As far as the bowlers are concerned, Waqar (28 Test wkts, 38 in ODIs), Shoaib Akhtar (32 each in Tests and ODIs), Saqlain Mushtaq (32 in Tests, 12 in ODIs) justify their place in both outfits.

Faisal Iqbal, who has played just three one-dayers, and Taufiq Umar need to make modifications quickly if they are to succeed at both levels of cricket. The selectors have taken a gamble with the young lads who are more suited for Tests.

The prime example of how young players are destroyed is the case of opener Imran Nazir. Despite being the best fielder among all current players, Imran, with his confidence badly shaken in recent Tests, now finds himself sidelined because his batting technique was brutally exposed by the Australians.

Imran Farhat should have been persevered with for Zimbabwe trip because unlike his namesake the left-hander has the confidence to go a long way.

Likewise leg-spinner Danish Kaneria, 26 wickets in seven Tests this year, has been dropped altogether. He would have been handy on the slow, low pitches of Harare and Bulawayo especially majority of the Zimbabweans are susceptible to wrist spin. The only exception being the redoubtable Andy Flower, Zimbabwe’s sole truly world-class Test and one-day performer.

Saeed’s record speaks for itself. Only Inzamam has made more runs than the 34-year-old’s 4052 runs in 55 Tests. Saeed’s average of 45.52 is slightly below Inzamam and Youhana. And again only, Izamam (16) has made more Test hundreds than Saeed, 11.

Saeed, the ex-captain, has a more impressive one-day career with 8605 runs (average 38.93) in 242 matches, second only to Inzamam’s 8712 (39.24) among Pakistan’s all-time performers.

Saeed’s 194 against India at Chennai in May 1997 in the highest ever knock in all One-day Internationals. He currently shares second place with Saurav Ganguly, who has 19 one-day hundreds. The notable exception is, of course, Sachin Tendulkar with an incredible 32 centuries.

And since Pakistan are embarking on a confidence-cum-morale building tour after they were disintegrated, both physically and mentally, by Steve Waugh’s juggernauts in recent weeks, the axing of a player of Saeed Anwar’s calibre may prove a mistake which PCB will regret.

It was the batting, more than the bowling, which let Pakistan down against Australia. Pakistan were generally two or three wickets down with almost nothing on the board because the openers were lacking in experience.