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LAHORE: Pakistan on Thursday dropped captain Misbah-ul Haq from the Twenty20 squad and made all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez the new skipper after the series defeat to England.
The decision was widely expected after Misbah led Pakistan to a 2-1 loss in the three-match Twenty20 series against England in February.
Misbah, who turns 38 later this month, is regarded as too old for the fastest brand of the game, but will still lead Pakistan for one-dayers and Tests on next month's Sri Lanka tour.
Pakistan play two Twenty20s, five one-days and three Tests on the tour.
They open with a Twenty20 match in Hambantota on June 1.
Misbah said he was not retiring from Twenty20 cricket.
“I accept this decision and will continue to serve my country in the best possible manner,” he said.
“I have not decided to retire from the Twenty20 and will play at domestic level to stage a comeback.”
The 31-year-old Hafeez, who will skipper Pakistan for the first time, will also be Misbah's deputy in one-days and Tests.
A delighted Hafeez, who has played 29 Twenty20s for Pakistan, said: “I owe a big thanks to the PCB and Misbah for thinking that I am capable enough to lead Pakistan.
“I will do my best to lift the team.”
Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Zaka Ashraf said: “Misbah has been a great leader and he will remain captain for the one-days and Tests, but after consulting Misbah, we have decided to appoint Hafeez as new captain for the Twenty20.”
Paceman Mohammad Sami, 31, was included in all three squads after a two-year break and middle-order batsman Faisal Iqbal was back in the Test squad after being sidelined in 2009.
Uncapped left-arm paceman Rahat Ali, who has 107 wickets in 27 first-class matches, is in the one-day team, while batsmen Ayub Dogar and Afaq Raheem made the Test squad for the first time.
Shahid Afridi, a former captain who is in the Twenty20 and one-day squad, welcomed Hafeez's appointment.
“Hafeez is captain of the whole nation and I urge the fans to back him. We must give him confidence before the all-important tour, then matches against Australia and then the World Twenty20,” the 32-year-old told AFP.
Afridi, who had been a popular choice of fans to lead the Twenty20 side, denied being disappointed at being passed over and said he was ready to play for Pakistan in any position.
Squad (Twenty20): Mohammad Hafeez (captain), Khalid Latif, Ahmed Shahzad, Shoaib Malik, Umar Akmal, Shakeel Ansar, Shahid Afridi, Yasir Arafat, Umar Gul, Sohail Tanveer, Saeed Ajmal, Raza Hasan, Haris Sohail, Mohammad Sami, Hammad Azam, Nasir Jamshed
One-day: Misbah-ul Haq (captain), Mohammad Hafeez, Nasir Jamshed, Younis Khan, Umar Akmal, Sarfraz Ahmed, Shahid Afridi, Umar Gul, Rahat Ali, Saeed Ajmal, Abdul Rehman, Mohammad Sami, Asad Shafiq, Aizaz Cheema, Azhar Ali, Imran Farhat
Test: Misbah-ul Haq (captain), Mohammad Hafeez, Taufeeq Umar, Azhar Ali, Younis Khan, Ayub Dogar, Asad Shafiq, Adnan Akmal, Umar Gul, Saeed Ajmal, Abdul Rehman, Mohammad Sami, Faisal Iqbal, Junaid Khan, Afaq Raheem, Mohammad Ayub, Aizaz Cheema
Tour itinerary: June 1 : First Twenty20 international, Hambantota June 3 : Second Twenty20 international, Hambantota June 7 : First one-dayer, Pallekele June 9 : Second one-dayer, Pallekele June 13: Third one-dayer, Colombo June 16: Fourth one-dayer, Colombo June 18: Fifth one-dayer, Colombo June 22-26: First Test, Galle June 30-July 4: Second Test, Colombo July 8-12: Third Test, Pallekele
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On DawnNews
May 10, 2012 02:56pm
Too much disappointment after seeing the squad with no Muhammad Yousaf no Imran nazir nor Abdur Razzaq what they are doing ???? There should be no Place for Umar Akmal and shoaib malik as well along with imran farhat.
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May 10, 2012 04:34pm
Agreed,,... PCB should give chance to Imran Nazir after his performance this year in BPL and Domestic cricket
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May 12, 2012 11:04am
Who was the man due to whom we reached the semi final of the WC? We forget very fast..
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May 11, 2012 07:03pm
They should have given a chance to Anwar Ali. hero of pakistan junior WC. He should be the future of Pakistani bowling in the absence of Aamir and Asif.
There is no good fast bowler of international level category A in the side.
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May 10, 2012 02:47pm
Why in the world would you bring back Farhat & Iqbal???? Farhat has by far the most inconsistent record as a batsmen and his inclusion in this squad is a clear indication that we're back to the Ijazz Butt era where batsmen were selected on who they know, not on merit. #pissedoff
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May 11, 2012 07:23am
Ganguly was given one chance and stayed for 10 years, tendulkar same still playing. PCB has given numerous chances to Imran, Sami, Faisal they could not maintain there place. Bad idea to bring them back.
Best wishes to Hafeez although I think Misbah was doing a good job and is fit for T20.
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May 10, 2012 01:18pm
As long and Faisal Iqbal is selected for the tour there will always be Imran Farhat types. faisal iqbal averages 26 in tests and 22 in ODI and strike rate is far worse than Imran farhat. Yet, both of these "sifarshi" players pop up due to their connections.
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May 11, 2012 07:05pm
Shahid Afridi is a emotional cricketer with limited brains.Remember the series we lost in West Indies with is poor shots at the wrong time,no sense of responsibility. Also WC loss against India
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May 10, 2012 10:48am
where is imran nazir for t 20,oneday.............and where is
muhammed yousuf for test
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May 10, 2012 02:12pm
What happened to the new guy named Owais Zia?
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May 10, 2012 05:04pm
What has happened to Pakistani selectors? Where is Mohmmad Yousuf? Does a batsmen of his caliber needs to play domestic cricket to be considered for selection.
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May 10, 2012 04:58pm
Some of the selection is mind boggling. Can someone tell me how Asad Shafiq can be dropped from T20 after scoring a brisk 34 and got runout by Misbah in final T20 against England, same is the case with Hammad Azam, why he has been dropped from ODI side after a decent Asia Cup. What the hell is adnan akmal doing in Test matches, why we cant entrust sarfaraz in all 3 formats, shakil ansar is too old for T20 format, Sohail Tanveer is a finished story why we keep including him, I must say our T20 fast bowling lineup is not so good. I hope sami can finally deliver this time, selectors have given him a big opportunity
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May 10, 2012 08:57am
Good to hear that, as we know that T2o team needs an aggressive player not like Misbah ul Haq. but misbah is good for odi's & tests.
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May 11, 2012 05:25pm
Look guys, I understand the frustration here but if Farhat is not in the squad then how can he take over the captaincy from Misbah! PCB wants to first get him in the squad then wait for a Bangladesh series in which he will score a few half-centuries and then replace Misbah and make Farhat the captain. You guys really miss the point!
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May 10, 2012 03:20pm
To chew the ball again and drag the PAK cricket team further down the drain,Afridi likes to play only for the gallery
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May 10, 2012 08:41am
Very good decision.
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May 10, 2012 11:34am
I wish Hafeez can handle all the bad stuff which a captain have to face. Time will tell us that captaincy will make him or break him
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May 10, 2012 09:04pm
hafeez should be captain of one day too. thanks god afridi is no more at the helm to lead as he is to emotional and there is a thin line between emotions and being sensiable.
abdul razzaq will be missed.
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May 10, 2012 01:14pm
Imran farhat should not have been selected but kindly talk about Faisal Iqbal as well. His 26 avg in tests and 22 in ODIs with a lousy strike rate makes his selection stick out even more.Javed miandad has come to the "rescue" of his nephew one more time.
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May 10, 2012 02:18pm
Why is hammad azam not in the one day squad !? crazy selection..
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May 10, 2012 02:19pm
I recommend following changes to make it perfect
T20: Razzaq for Sohail Tanveer/Hammad Azam and Imran Nazir for Haris Sohail
ODI: Ahmad Shahzad for Imran Farhat
Test: Nasir Jamshed for Faisal Iqbal
I respect Iqbal Qasim but it looks more like political than merit
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May 10, 2012 02:10pm
Totaally agree. Can someone from PCB justify Imran Farhat inclusion in the squade, unless it has a blessing from the power corridore of Islamabad.
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May 10, 2012 08:49am
Good decision.....Since Misbah departure is just round the corner, it is good startegy to invest in successor. Will see Hafeez's aptitude in T20. Best of luck to Hafee and Pakistanis
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May 10, 2012 03:34pm
IMRAN NAZIR should be included as well as Mohmmad Azam
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May 10, 2012 03:34pm
I would to congratulate Pakistan on the dream run in the past year. The likes of Farhat, Sami, Shoaib Malik, are going to destroy that very soon. These players have connections and keep getting recalls into the team.
Nice to see new faces in the test squad as we have a lot of batting talent that is not given a proper chance. With the likes of Yousuf, Inzi and Younis (very soon), retiring from Test Squad, we need to groom younger players to strengthen our middile order in Test arena. Azhar Ali and Asad Shafi were good finds and should be persisted with.
Thank you for not choosing Razzaq as his time is DONE.
Never thought I would say this in my life, but how did we stop producing good fast bowlers? I will be very surprised if Junaid Khan turns in a good performance. Somehow his body is not completely there. The bowling coach needs to start scouting hard for new fast bowling prospects.
Good luck to the Pak Team! Inshallah Boyz will play well.
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May 10, 2012 11:54am
The inclusion of Faisal Iqbal in the test squad does not make any sense. Instead of it they should have tried Nasir jamshed in test squad.
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May 10, 2012 11:55am
Imran Farhat's selection defies all logic and is beyond justification.
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May 10, 2012 11:52am
I think this is balance side.My reservation are in batting and fast bowling departments. Asad Shafique should have been a good batsman in absence of yunus and Misbah. Fast bowlers are not upto the requirment of format.Shohail Tanvir and Arfat are batsman alrounders, We should have included Zia-ul-Haq in side.
Choice of Hafeez is good. Ahmed Shehzad and Khalid Latif has to delever. Both have great potential but need consistency. Shoaib Malik and Umer Akmal has to share the responsibility along with Hafiz to stebalize batting.Inclusion of Raza hasan was due since he is better batsman and good fielder.
All team members has to support Hafiz whole heartedly to have a good result.We should back our team.
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May 10, 2012 11:49am
Very good and wise decision......Misbah and Afridi should be supportive........ PCB announce very well balance team..
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May 11, 2012 04:21pm
What is farhat doing in the team .Misbah should have been only a test player,who can forget his innings against india in the semi last yr and t20 final in 2009,Can still see some politics in this squad
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May 10, 2012 01:22pm
salam all
Glad they made hafeez a skipper...need to prepare a skipper to lead all formats after misbah and other seniors are gone...pointless inclusion of mohammad sami, sohail tanvir, imran farhat, faisal iqbal, taufeeq umer (tooooo slow) and last but no least the pointless exclusion of hammad azam..yar give him a chance to prove himself..we play him once after 10 matches and he performs good but we still exclude him...if i was misbah, i would have retired from odi and t20 and keep playing the test but they kept him fopr odi and test so its ok..
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May 10, 2012 01:05pm
Goo call to make Hafeez T20 captain I think eventually he should be the man incharge. Exclusion of Adbul Razzaq is mind boggling and also Imran Farhat has no place in the team. Razzaq should have been included instead of Farhat sifarshee.
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May 10, 2012 10:09am
Good move. It is also important to have a Captain in making. Hafeez is a potential successor to MIsbah
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May 10, 2012 03:48pm
I totally 100 agree with your comment. Why not select him for the One Day squad? Our selectors are never just with true talent.
Aftab
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May 10, 2012 10:18am
Wish you best of luck Hafeez and expecting imran nazir to be part of national t20 squad.
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May 10, 2012 10:24am
Hafeez is a good pick, but Shahid Afridi would have been better.
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May 10, 2012 10:31am
The Professor will deliver - he seems to be a good strategist, yet intense cricketer. That's what T20 needs. I am sure both Afridi and Misbah will be supportive.
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May 10, 2012 10:39am
Offcourse the new lot should be given chances, however by making him skipper in T20, it shall also serve the purpose of future captaincy spot nominee after the exit of senior players.
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May 10, 2012 12:45pm
I dont get it why PCB keep testing new captains every time...i think Afridi should be the CAPTAIN of T20 no matter what....like he has the skills of leading Pakistan in T20s....Hafeez who knows if he will be able to take pressure or not...and besides Afridi is in form so i dotn understand why PCB have to pass Afridi and make Hafeez captain...i m sure there must be some politics behind this as well !!!!
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May 10, 2012 11:05am
For God Sake No more of Imran Farhat please !!!! This guy keeps getting back into the side even after poor performances against england, bangladesh and sri lanka. What are selectors thinking of him??? averaging 31 in entire career with just one century how could you keep giving him chances?? I mean is there an end to it?
Imran nazir deserved a chance with his recent performances at least in t20 side. I still believe he has lot to offer for Pakistan and would do wonders if mentored and utilized properly.
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May 10, 2012 11:07am
For God Sake No more of Imran Farhat please !!!! This guy keeps getting back into the side even after poor performances against england, bangladesh and sri lanka. What are selectors thinking of him??? averaging 31 in entire career with just one century how could you keep giving him chances?? I mean is there an end to it?
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May 10, 2012 05:15pm
So deos Shoaib Malik --- I mean when was the last time he performed to justify his inclusion in T20?
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May 10, 2012 05:23pm
When there is abundant talent available, why not give chance to youngsters instead of Sami, Imran Farhat, Azaz Cheema and Misbah, Pakistan is not devoid good talent in every department, Pakistan lacks good and honest leadership, planners and managers. The Government officials selected on quota and other considerations instead of merits should just consider themselves as public servants and nothing more than that, after all their payroll is met from public funds. If they cannot serve honestly and competently people have the right to get rid of them.
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May 10, 2012 05:28pm
What does Imran Farhat do to get into the team every freaking time? Now even the insane would understand he's not here because of talent!
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May 10, 2012 06:12pm
A new look squad , its new thinking and good choices best of luck , but am surprised for sami, good luck
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May 11, 2012 01:29pm
Be Patriotic Guyzz........ Hafeez Is The T20 Captain That's Good We Should Back Up Him , While No Doubt Misbah Is A Gr8 Captain In PCT History. Now , What The Team Is Selected Is Now Selected We Should Be Positive With Them To Get The Positive Results In Match. Inshaa ALLAH [GREEN TIGERS] Will Wrap Up This Sri Lankan Series In Their Account.
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May 10, 2012 08:12pm
LOOKS LIKE HE HIRED LOT OF PEOPLE WHO PRAY FOR HIS PLACE IN THE TEAM
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May 10, 2012 07:18pm
very politicaly based selection,what ths imran farhat doing in the squad alng witi faisal iqbal,and hammad azam nt n one day squad..shame shame selectors..!
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May 11, 2012 04:57pm
Yeah I can explain...because he doesnt have the temprament and skill to play at that level
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May 11, 2012 08:08am
I think selectors were more interested in pleasing Karachi lobby. Why failed supremoes Faisal Iqbal and Sami have been selected? Why no chance has been given to youngsters but how many more chances would be given to Faisal whose technique to bat is so faulty and Sami who cannot bowl to a good length. Imran Farhat, Shoeb Malik should also not have been selected too. This cricket Board too is following on the footsteps of previous ones. No new blood but depending again on failed cricketers. Taufeeq Omar should also be discarded.
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May 10, 2012 11:01pm
The biggest joke is inclusion of Imran Farhat and Faisal Iqbal. If Mohammad Sami has been recalled supposedly due to his few wickets in BPL then I guess Imran Nazir also deserves at least one more chance based on same BPL criteria.
Furthermore, Hafiz made sure all his Sialkot buddies are in - Shoaib Malik, Shakeel Ansar, Haris Sohail, and Raza Hassan are all from Sialkot stallions. And obviously, Afridi continue to enjoy joy ride with out any real performance.
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May 11, 2012 02:26am
Surprised to cee, Shoib Malak in the squad,he is not qualified for the current cricket demands.
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May 11, 2012 07:13am
very strange inclusion of farhat ,faisal,& sami,,,,,,especially farhat and shoaib malik.......why nort give a chance to imran nazir more dashing batsman than both of these .I mean shoaib and farhat....
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May 11, 2012 04:39am
very ugly decision of making hafeez as captain.Misbha is a great politician.Pcb chairman is not a permanent material.
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May 11, 2012 04:47am
nice captain i thin that can interface twenty is best for hafeez INSHALLAH he will have ability to perform bating as well as bowling
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May 11, 2012 05:21am
This decision was made long back atleast 1year back when Hafeez was given to ball in opening owers and batting chances of opening even he failed to leave any winning impression. Misbha can never be a good cricketer he can be a politician no one will forget pak loosing T20final by his foolish scoop shot and worldcup semi final innings he can only be a politician. Pakistan cricket board prooves once again to be corrupt most and already pak is known for all bad reasons.
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May 11, 2012 10:17am
A NON - SERIOUS great player
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May 11, 2012 05:31am
what is going on in Pakistan cricket ,our selectors are useless ,they don't know how to select good team ,Mr Iqbal Qasim how much you know about batting look at your record,no wonder you don't see a batsman like Mohammed Yousuf ,sorry I have to say this you donot have a single batsman like Mohammed Yousuf Calliber in your team that you people have selected I can challage you, what a shame for wasting high class talent.I have no hope with this team.
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May 11, 2012 09:19am
can somone explain umar akmal's exclusion from Tests :(
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May 11, 2012 06:11am
where is Mohammed Yousuf ,you know what our selectors are not more then a bunch of Bananas ,they don't know what they are doing. I feel very sorry for Mohammed yousuf, Imran Nazir and Abdul Razzak.These slectors are destroying you talent .Look at the record of Iqbal Qasim,what he knows about batting. Man, bunch of looser. This is my request to Chairman PCB please change the selectors for God sake,bring some people who has good batting and bowling record.
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May 11, 2012 11:15pm
You all are missing the point here .. PCB is trying to groom a future captain in Farhat. Basically the postponed Bd series was supposed to get Farhat the runs he needed to edge out Misbah as the new captain of the Pakistan Cricket Team...
Seriously, am I the only one reading between the lines!!!!
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May 12, 2012 02:39am
Pakistan can never improve their cricketing standards they are ignoring Abdul Razak and Imran Nazir
PAKISTAN will fail to atract interest from the world for their T20 League
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May 12, 2012 02:40am
Even AFridi is not made the cpatain he will prove to be the best mind it...............;
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May 12, 2012 04:40am
our dull selectors do not know the importance of imran nazir i bet is this player has been bon in india or australia they would have never lost this player .........hw is not only a great player but a true solider fighter who lifts the moral of his team
this is how these selectors are playing with our country.......
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May 12, 2012 05:14am
I don't know how PCB can justify inclusion of Afridi in squad.. And you are askingfor him to be made captain..
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May 12, 2012 06:39am
Sri Lanka has good chance of beating Pakistan in T20 format especially when mainstay of Pakistan middle order Misbah is gone.Go on Lankans go! Pakistan middle order batting is brittle without Misbah and nobody can save Pakistan in T20 format this time
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May 12, 2012 07:56am
EVEN not being captain LALA will perform the best even not being a captain PAK won T20 final becoz LALA played and singled handedly won worldcup T20 for PAK but MISBHA and other players are greeedy and selfish they only perform when they are captain otherwise they play to make PAK loosing...................AFRIDI u r the best NO ONE LIKE U ....................
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May 16, 2012 01:49am
The most mystifying to me is the total number of people that have been selected. There should at least be consistency in the bowling and all rounder departments for One day and T20. what if Ahmed Shahzad performs well in both T20s, will they send him home for ODIs? Enough said about Imran Farhat and Faisal Iqbal. There are some very good batsmen from Karachi but apparently Intikhab Alam doesn't like any of them. Same goes for Imran Nazir. I am hoping they will correct this by the time T20 happens in SRL. Imagine Imran Nazir opening with Ahmed Shahzad.
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