Former players criticise Pakistan team picks

Former Pakistan cricketers Tuesday lashed out at the team selection for the forthcoming two-Test series against the West Indies, while leg-spinner Danish Kaneria accused authorities of ignoring him.

Pakistan on Monday named a 15-man squad for the series in the Caribbean, ignoring Kaneria and Kamran Akmal and axing wicket-keeper Adnan Akmal.

The selection committee gave no reason for dropping the three players but Pakistani media reported that Kaneria did not get clearance from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), while Kamran was dropped for his poor performance in the World Cup.

Kaneria, the subject of a criminal investigation in England last year over allegations that he was involved in spot-fixing in a Pro40 county match between Essex and Durham in 2009, but later cleared, expressed anger.

"I can't understand why they have dropped me after I was cleared by the Essex police and that letter of clearance has been submitted to the PCB," Kaneria told AFP.

"I have submitted whatever details I had... but now no board official picks up my phone and no answer is given to me," added the 30-year-old bowler, who has taken 261 wickets in 61 Tests -- the most by a Pakistani spinner.

"I have served my country for over 10 years and don't deserve such treatment. When no charges were levelled against me and police cleared me, then why the PCB is treating me like this?"

A former chief selector, Salahuddin Ahmed, said the PCB had displayed double standards in not selecting Kaneria.

"The PCB had said Kamran, Shoaib Malik and Kaneria needed clearance but they selected Kamran for the World Cup and excluded Malik and Kaneria.

"This time they didn't take both Kamran and Kaneria. I think Kaneria is a world class spinner and deserved a place in the Tests," said Ahmed.

All three of those players were summoned before a PCB "integrity committee" in January, after which only Kamran was given clearance. The committee was formed on the advice of the International Cricket Council following the spot-fixing scandal in England last year.

Ahmed described other choices as unjust.

"The members of this selection committee don't go to the grounds and judge players on their own and they also hide from coming in front of the press to give reasons for selection, simply because they are murdering merit every time," he said.

Another former chief selector, Iqbal Qasim, said Pakistan's selections had been inconsistent.

"After his brilliant wicket-keeping in New Zealand where he took eight catches in a Test last year, Adnan deserved a place in the Test team. It is total injustice against a youngster," Qasim said.

"I don't know what type of rebuilding they (selectors) talk about when they eliminated a deserving youngster."

Former leg-spinner Abdul Qadir also attacked the selectors, saying they must explain Adnan's omission.

"Ignoring a youngster who has performed well behind the stumps is an injustice," said Qadir, another former chief selector, who resigned over interference in selection in 2009.

Pakistan play the first of two Tests in Guyana from May 12. The second Test starts in St. Kitts from May 20.

Salman, Junaid and Azam get Test call-ups

Wicket-keeper Mohammad Salman, allrounderHammad Azam and left-arm seamer Junaid Khan are the new faces in Pakistan's 15-member squad for the upcoming two-Test series against West Indies.

Misbah-ul-Haq who led the Test side creditably in the aftermath of the spot-fixing scandal, remains in charge. Salman, Azam and Junaid have all been, in effect, kept on after being blooded in the limited-overs leg of the West Indies tour.

The only minor surprise in the squad was the exclusion of Adnan Akmal, who has been the Test wicketkeeper in charge since his elder brother Kamran lost his place in the five-day format in the aftermath of the spot-fixing scandal last summer. Over four Tests against South Africa and New Zealand he performed well with the gloves, generally neat and clean and, importantly given his brother's faltering form, safe in taking 17 dismissals.

Though there was no big innings with the bat, there was a handy 44 in Hamilton earlier this year. His replacement has impressed behind the stumps in the ongoing ODI series but hasn't really had an opportunity to do so with the bat, having batted once in three ODIs upto the fourth game between the two sides.

There is a fair degree of stability from the last Test squad for New Zealand with the three newcomers the only changes. Sohail Tanvir has been replaced by Junaid and the continuing development of middle order batsmen Asad Shafiq and Azhar Ali means there is no place for Khurram Manzoor. Azam, for the first time since Yasir Arafat's brief Test flirtation in 2007-08, offers Pakistan a genuine Test all-round option - Shahid Afridi's one-Test comeback last year at Lord's notwithstanding.

Younis Khan, who was rested for the one-dayers, returns for the Tests, as does Umar Gul.

The first Test will be played from May 12 at Providence Stadium in Guyana, and the second will be played at Warner Park in St Kitts from May 20. The series is widely regarded as Pakistan's best chance to win their first-ever Test series in the Caribbean, against a weakened West Indies side that might be missing several key players.

Pakistan already have an unassailable lead in the five-match ODI series, having won the first three. West Indies won the lone Twenty20 fixture.

Squad: Misbah-ul-Haq (capt), Younis Khan, Taufeeq Umar, Mohammad Hafeez, Asad Shafiq, Azhar Ali, Mohammad Salman (wk), Saeed Ajmal, Abdur Rehman, Umar Akmal, Umar Gul, Wahab Riaz, Tanvir Ahmed, Junaid Khan, Hammad Azam

PCB awaits Kaneria's Essex statement

The Pakistan Cricket Board has said it is awaiting clarification from legspinner Danish Kaneria regarding the investigation by Essex police last August over his alleged involvement in spot-fixing. Kaneria was later released without charge, but he has been excluded from Pakistan's squads since then.

"We have been asking Danish to provide us with the statement he gave to the Essex police when he was under investigation in the spot-fixing scandal in county cricket last year," an unnamed PCB official said. "But so far he has not provided us with the statement."

ESPNcricinfo understands, however, that the document the PCB requires is one Kaneria has told them he cannot provide as his involvement in the case is finished now. Kaneria, say sources close to the player, has tried getting in contact with the PCB repeatedly over the last month but to no avail.

Kaneria has been ignored for international duty since the 2010 summer. He was one of three players - alongside Kamran Akmal and Shoaib Malik - who were summoned before the PCB's inquiry committee in order to gain clearance to play for the country. Pakistan had delayed the announcement of their 30-man World Cup squad till January 5 to complete investigating the three players, but only Kamran was included in the preliminary list for the tournament.

Kaneria was also in the original squad to play two Tests against South Africa in the UAE, but was told moments before he was about to leave for the airport that he hadn't been cleared to play. He was also not given a new central contract by the PCB last month. Essex, meanwhile, named Lonwabo Tsotsobe as their overseas player for the current season, and left Kaneria out.

Kaneria's lawyer Steve Haurigan had previously blamed the PCB's reluctance to clear Kaneria for his dwindling prospects with English county sides. "We want to know what objections the PCB have against Danish continuing to play? Because they haven't told him or us what those objections are. They are blocking him playing not only in Pakistan for the Pakistan team but also obviously outside Pakistan. The effect of the PCB being reluctant to clear Danish is that the county sides in England who are willing and almost queuing up to sign up Danish are reluctant to do it, understandably because they are not sure what's going on."

Wahab, Hafeez to be rested: Afridi

 BARBADOS: A few changes will be made in the Pakistan cricket team for the remaining matches of the one-day international series.

Captain Shahid Afridi said that he wanted to provide chances to young players while faults in batting line have to be removed.

Talking with Geo News from Barbados, Afridi said that in the upcoming matches, fast bowler Wahab Riaz would be replaced by Tanveer Ahmed while opener Taufiq Umar would be played in place of Mohammad Hafeez.

Regarding fast bowler Junaid Khan, the skipper said that the young pacer has begun his international career just now and he wanted to give him more chances.

He said that middle-order batsman Usman Salahuddin may be included in the final eleven of the last match of the series.

Afridi said that he was glad the national team has won two consecutive series under his captaincy and it shows that the team’s performance is being improved day-by-day.

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