Pakistan recall Malik, Sami for Zimbabwe Twenty20 games

KARACHI: Pakistan’s selectors on Tuesday turned back the clock when they recalled discarded all-rounder Shoaib Malik and pacer Mohammad Sami for two Twenty20 Internationals against visiting Zimbabwe.
Also back in the squad was misfiring batsman Umar Akmal, who was axed from the side because indifferent form and poor conduct during the World Cup. Star off-spinner Saeed Ajmal was axed because of poor form.
The trio’s inclusion in the Twenty20 line-up is quite surprising considering that Pakistan are supposed to be rebuilding their team for next year’s ICC World Twenty20 championship to be held in India.
To be fair to the national selectors they did infuse a bit of young blood in the squad like Nauman Anwar, one of the success stories of the recently-concluded domestic Twenty20 tournament.
But the return of discarded players like Malik will certainly raise a few eyebrows.
Malik, the 33-year-old all-rounder, has not figured since a poor showing against Bangladesh in the last of his 59 T20 Internationals in Dhaka in 2014.
But a return to form in the recently concluded “Super8” domestic T20 cup has led to him being recalled, said chief selector Haroon Rasheed.
“In the absence of Ajmal who needs some time to adjust to his remodelled action, we needed someone who could bowl also and Malik has shown some good recent form,” Rasheed said.
Ajmal was banned by the International Cricket Council last year and has been struggling with control since his new bowling action was cleared by the ICC in February.
He was left out of Pakistan’s World Cup squad, and then returned unsuccessfully on the tour of Bangladesh last month.
“Ajmal is an asset and as a professional he knows he needs some time, so he will play for (Worcestershire) county in England to gain his confidence back,” said Rasheed.
The 15-man squad also sees the return of Umar Akmal who was left out of the Bangladesh tour for exhibiting a “poor attitude” during the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand in February and March.
There are two uncapped players, 19-year-old opening batsman Nauman Anwar who has been in prolific form and former Pakistan U19 captain Imad Wasim.
Anwar was declared top batsman in the domestic Twenty20 event after scoring 270 runs at a strike-rate of 162.65 for Sialkot Stallions, including a match-winning 54-ball 97 in the final against Lahore Lions on Sunday.
“We have selected a combination of youth and experience with an eye on (next year’s) World Twenty20 where we will need experience as well,” said Rasheed.
Anwar Ali, Bilawal Bhatti and Hammad Azam also returned to the squad, while Saad Nasim, Imran Khan and Haris Sohail were dropped from the Pakistan T20 squad that played against Bangladesh in Mirpur last month. Both Sohaib Maqsood and Sohail Khan were sidelined over fitness issues, and Junaid Khan was the other notable exclusion for the Zimbabwe series.
Sami’s call-up came as a surprise considering he has not played for Pakistan since June 2012, when they toured Sri Lanka. He took six wickets in three matches in the Super8 T20 competition in Faisalabad last week.
Anwar, who entered the domestic circuit last year, has only played a handful of first-class matches but caught the attention of the selectors after an extraordinary show in the recently concluded Super8 tournament in Faisalabad.
Wasim, who led the Pakistan Under-19 World Cup team in 2007, was selected on the basis of his all-round performance for Pakistan A in the ongoing series against Sri Lanka A.
The selectors retained Ahmed Shehzad, who was not part of the ODI series in Bangladesh but played the T20. He scored 0, 58*, 8 and 8 in four innings in the Super8 tournament.
Umar Akmal, who was also not part of the Pakistan side against Bangladesh, returned to the squad after putting up scores of 35, 1, 95* and 85*.
Pakistan will play two T20Is and three ODIs against Zimbabwe - the first international cricket to be played in the country since March 2009.
Only six players - Shahid Afridi, Mohammad Hafeez, Shoaib Malik, Sarfraz Ahmed, Wahab Riaz and Mohammad Sami - in this T20 squad have played an international match in Pakistan.
Squad: Shahid Afridi (captain), Sarfraz Ahmed (vc), Ahmed Shehzad, Mohammad Hafeez, Mukhtar Ahmed, Nauman Anwar, Shoaib Malik, Umar Akmal, Mohammad Rizwan, Anwar Ali, Hammad Azam, Imad Wasim, Bilawal Bhatti, Wahab Riaz, Mohammad Sami.