LAHORE: The national selection committee has overlooked a good number of batsmen and bowlers who performed well in the last domestic season as it has invited 54 probables to appear in the trials for selection in a training camp which is going to be set up for emerging players.

The trials are being held in three different cities from June 23 to 26. The dates for the camp are yet to be announced.

The injustice has been done to the top scorer of the Quaid-i-Azam Trophy, Israrullah from Peshawar, who scored 875 at an excellent average of 67.31.

Umar Siddique (845 runs) and Saad Ali (705), who scored less than Israrullah, have however been called for the trials.

Similarly, the best all-rounder of the tournament, Imad Wasim of Islamabad, has been ignored, who scored 804 runs at an average of 57.43, besides taking 41 wickets at an average of 16.32.

Top bowlers of the Quaid-i-Azam Trophy, Nasir Malik (65 wickets, 20.49 average), Shehzad Azam (51 wickets, 19.10) and Haseeb Azam (51 wickets, 19.10) have also failed to get the selectors nod.

Another first-class domestic event is the President Trophy.

The tournament’s highest run-getter Naeemuddin from SNGPL, who won the title, is also not on the list of probables. The left-hander scored 808 runs at an average of 57.71. He also hit a century (192) in the first innings of the final against the United Bank Limited besides cracking 77 in the second innings.

Imran Khan, the second best bowler of the event from the ZTBL with 52 wickets at an average of 20.73 after Atif Maqbool, also met the same fate.

Atif has, however, been called in the second calling by the selectors for the recently concluded one-month long fitness camp. He is the top wicket-taker with 57 wickets at an average of 17.18.

Moreover, from the one-day format for departments, Bilal Shafayat, who scored 266 at an average of 53.20, is the prominent missing.

Adil Raza with 22 wickets at 18.50 for Habib Bank Limited and Khalid Usman (20 wickets at 13.25) were also the top bowlers of the event, whose names are not on the list.

Similarly, the same attitude has been rendered with Regional One-day Cup top performers as its second top scorer Asif Zakir (435 runs with an average of 87) should have been included as his performance was close to the top scorer Adil Amin (447, averages 74.80).

Top bowlers like Azam Khan (16 wickets, 14.50 average) from Peshawar and M. Irfan from Lahore (15 wickets, 17.00) are also missed by the selectors.

The probables have been asked to report at the National Stadium Karachi where chief selector Moin Khan with two other selectors Shoaib Mohammad and Salim Yousuf will conduct the trials on June 23.

Moin with Wajahatullah Wasti will oversee the trials at the Pindi Cricket Stadium in Rawalpindi on June 25, while in the next phase, Moin with other selector Ijaz Ahmed will supervise the trials at the Gaddafi Stadium on June 26.

Players who will report at the National Stadium, Karachi on June 23 at 9am:

Shazar Mohammad, Shahzaib Hasan, Rameez Raja Jr, Saad Ali, Saud Shakeel, Shaharyar Ghani, Shayan Jahangir, Ramiz Aziz, Ali Asad, Syed Faraz Ali, Mohammad Waqas, Shahzaib Ahmad, Tabish Khan, Bismillah Khan, Aqeel Anjum.

Pindi Cricket Stadium (June 25 at 9am):

Umar Waheed, Shoaib Ahmad, Saduf Hussain, Jamal Anwar, Ali Raza, Hassan Raza, Ali Nadeem Abbasi, Adil Amin, Mehran Ibrahim, Azizullah, Taj Wali, Kamran Gulam, Ahmed Jamal, Irfanullah Shah.

At Lahore on June 26 at 9am:

Abid Ali, Umar Siddique, Hamza Paracha, Hussain Talat, Agha Salman, Zafar Gohar, Azhar Attari, Mohammad Aftab, Faisal Mubashir, Ataullah, Zeeshan Ashraf, Aamir Yamin, Kumail Ali, Sudaif Mehdi, Haziq Habib, M. Rameez, Gulraiz Sadaf, Waqar Hussain, Ali Khan, Hasan Ali, Sarmad Anwer, Usama Mir, Ali Waqas, Noman Butt, Karamat Ali, Ammad.

Published in Dawn, June 15th, 2014