 Younus was in the provisional squad but failed to make the final cut |
Pakistan have left former captain Younus Khan out of their squad for Test series against England and Australia. Younus recently won an appeal against an indefinite ban from international cricket imposed after an inquiry into the winter tour to Australia. But the selectors have instead recalled Yasir Hameed, also 32, who last played Test cricket in December 2007. There are also places for uncapped Azhar Ali, Umar Amin, Wahab Riaz and Tanvir Ahmed. Opening batsman Azhar and seam bowler Tanvir are new to international cricket, but Amin and Riaz have both appeared in limited overs internationals. Pakistan play their first tour match against an MCC side including former West Indies skipper Brian Lara at Lord's next Sunday. They then have four warm-up games against county opposition before taking on Australia in two Twenty20 internationals and two Tests being staged on neutral territory in England because of ongoing concerns about the security of teams touring Pakistan.  | 606: DEBATE |
After that, they will then embark on four Tests against England before concluding the tour with two more T20 matches and five limited overs internationals. The absence of Younus from the 17-man squad is a surprise as he averages over 50 in Tests and hit 173 against England at Headingley during Pakistan's last tour in 2006. There is no place either for Shoaib Akhtar, once the fastest bowler in world cricket, although he will be part of the Twenty20 squad. Pakistan's pace attack will instead be led by Mohammad Asif, the youthful Mohammad Aamer and Umar Gul, who is returning to international cricket after recovering from injury. They will be backed up by Tanvir, who has been given his first chance at the age of 31 after taking 399 first-class wickets at an average of 28 during his career and left-armer Riaz. Danish Kaneria and Saeed Ajmal provide the front-line slow bowling options, with skipper Shahid Afridi also likely to chip in with a few overs of leg-spin. Pakistan have a sorry Test record away from home in recent years, having lost nine of the 15 matches they have played since the tour to England four years ago and won only two. Last winter's series in Australia, where they were dogged by dressing room disharmony, ended in a 3-0 whitewash.
Pakistan Test squad: Shahid Afridi (capt), Salman Butt (vice capt), Imran Farhat, Yasir Hameed, Azhar Ali, Umar Amin, Umar Akmal, Shoaib Malik, Kamran Akmal (wk), Zulqarnain Haider, Umar Gul, Mohammad Asif, Wahab Riaz, Mohammad Aamer, Tanvir Ahmed, Saeed Ajmal, Danish Kaneria. Pakistan Twenty20 squad: Shahid Afridi (capt), Salman Butt (vice capt), Shahzaib Hasan, Umar Akmal, Shoaib Malik, Umar Amin, Kamran Akmal (wk), Abdul Razzaq, Mohammad Aamer, Umar Gul, Saeed Ajmal, Shoaib Akhtar, Abdul Rehman, Wahab Riaz, Fawad Alam.
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