 Farhat last played for Pakistan against South Africa in 2007 |
Pakistan have recalled opener Imran Farhat from international isolation for next month's series with New Zealand. The 27-year-old last played a Test in 2007, but was barred from international cricket when he joined the unsanctioned Indian Cricket League (ICL). Farhat has severed ties with the ICL and is named in all three squads, but batsman Misbah-ul-Haq has been dropped. Mohammad Asif, Abdul Razzaq, Salman Butt and Khalid Latif were all recalled to the Test squad. Pakistan will play three one-day internationals and two Twenty20 games against New Zealand in the United Arab Emirates, before travelling to New Zealand for a three-Test series. The "home" series is being played in the UAE because of ongoing security concerns in Pakistan. Younus Khan, who was named captain earlier this week through to the 2011 World Cup, will lead the side in one-day internationals and Tests, while Shahid Afridi will be the skipper for the Twenty20 games in Dubai.  | 606: DEBATE |
Younus recently offered to resign as captain in protest at match-fixing allegations made against him and the team by a parliamentary sports committee, even though they were cleared of any charges. However, the Pakistan Cricket Board rejected his resignation. Farhat is one of seven players to be named in the Test, one-day and Twenty20 squads along with Shoaib Malik, Umar Akmal, Kamran Akmal, off-spinner Saeed Ajmal and pacemen Umar Gul and Mohammad Aamir. Left-handed opener Butt - ignored for the Champions Trophy - was named in the one-day and Test squads as selectors wanted to avoid a reliance on makeshift openers. "We have problems with finding a reliable opening pair and we have decided to give Farhat another chance," said chief selector Iqbal Qasim. "Opening is a specialized field and we want to hand over this job to regular openers." Qasim refused to close the door on Misbah's international career and said he will be considered for the subsequent tour of Australia, which begins in December. "We have decided to give Misbah a rest. He can concentrate on playing domestic cricket," said Qasim. Paceman Asif will join the team in New Zealand for the Tests, but he is barred from entering the UAE as he was deported last year for possessing a small amount of opium. All-rounder Razzaq also returns to the one-day and Twenty20 teams after he was left out of the Champions Trophy squad. Leg-spinner Danish Kaneria and Faisal Iqbal were named in the Test squad only. The series begins in Abu Dhabi with a one-dayer on 3 November.
Pakistan squads Test: Younus Khan (capt), Salman Butt, Khurrum Manzoor, Imran Farhat, Mohammad Yousuf, Shoaib Malik, Fawad Alam, Faisal Iqbal, Kamran Akmal (wk), Danish Kaneria, Saeed Ajmal, Yasir Arafat, Umar Gul, Mohammad Asif, Mohammad Aamir, Abdul Rauf, Umar Akmal, Sarfraz Ahmad. One-day: Younus Khan (capt), Salman Butt, Imran Farhat, Khalid Latif, Mohammad Yousuf, Shoaib Malik, Umar Akmal, Kamran Akmal (wk), Abdul Razzaq, Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, Shahid Afridi, Saeed Ajmal, Umar Gul, Mohammad Aamir, Rao Iftikhar, Wahab Riaz. Twenty20: Shahid Afridi (capt), Khalid Latif, Imran Nazir, Umar Akmal, Shoaib Malik, Kamran Akmal (wk), Abdul Razzaq, Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, Umar Gul, Mohammad Aamir, Rao Iftikhar, Saeed Ajmal, Imran Farhat, Fawad Alam, Sohail Tanvir.
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