Akram and Saqlain back for Pak training camp

Old hands Wasim Akram, Saqlain Mushtaq and Azhar Mahmood were recalled to Pakistan's international fold on Saturday, with selection for a national training camp due to begin at the end of next week

Pakistan selectors have invited 30 players to the training camp which will be held in the eastern city of Lahore from March 22. The camp will prepare squads for a triangular one-day competition in Sharjah in early April and a series against New Zealand later that month.

The three players were omitted from the team for last week's Asian Test Championship final against Sri Lanka, which Pakistan lost by eight wickets in Lahore.

Selectors were criticised both before and after that match for omitting all-rounder Akram and off-spinner Saqlain.

Also invited to the training camp were five specialist openers as well as a number of uncapped players.

"Our main purpose is to...have a look at the available talent in the country particularly those who have been performing well at the domestic level," chief selector Wasim Bari told Reuters.

Pakistan has been struggling to find a reliable opening pair since Saeed Anwar suffered a wrist injury last November in Sharjah.

"The opening pair has been a problem for us, but we are giving everyone a chance as we need two or three reliable players," said Bari.

The shortlist includes openers Shahid Afridi, Imran Farhat, Imran Nazir, Muhammad Ramazan and Taufiq Umar. Ramazan last played for Pakistan against South Africa in 1998.

Among the uncapped players are Karachi's Saeed Bin Nasir and fast bowler Abdul Rauf, who has impressed everyone with his stamina and pace in his first full season.

Also included is Yasir Hameed of Peshawar, who scored 171 in the final of the prestigious Quaid-e-Azam trophy recently in Karachi.

The full list: Shahid Afridi, Imran Farhat, Imran Nazir, Muhammad Ramazan, Taufiq Umar, Inzamamul Haq, Younis Khan, Yousaf Youhana, Faisal Iqbal, Misbah-ul-Haq, Yasir Hameed, Bilal Asad, Saeed Bin Nasir, Usman Tariq, Wasim Akram, Abdul Razzaq, Azhar Mehmood, Rana Naveedul Hasan, Shoaib Malik, Yasir Arafat, Tahir Mughal, Waqar Younis, Muhammad Sami, Fazale Akber, Abdul Rauf, Shoaib Akhtar, Rashid Latif, Kamran Akmal, Saqlain Mushtaq and Danish Kaneria.

Mail Cricket Editor