THE Pakistan cricket squad announced for India series has drawn mixed reactions. It is good to give a chance to new blood but there are some controversial decisions too.

It seems selectors are not eying the future as they claim. It seems performance was not the only criterion for the selection of the team.

The replacement of veteran Abdul Razzaq is Asad Ali who has scored 537 in 96 first class innings. Although he has taken 326 wickets in 135 first class innings, to call him a good all-rounder is not fair.

The selectors say that they are giving a chance to young blood but surprisingly a new face, Zulfiqar Babar, is already 34 years old.

Players like Shoaib Malik, Younis Khan and Imran Farhat should have been dropped if performance is any yardstick for the selectors.

Why have we not produced a genuine all-rounder like Imran Khan or Wasim Akram so far? Why can’t we find anyone other than Kamran Akmal behind the wickets? His habitual misfielding has cost us a lot of matches.

ABDUL RAUFFateh Jang