Pakistan rope in Asad, Akmal for ODI series

KARACHI: For those who feared that like many of Pakistan’s previous foreign coaches Mickey Arthur may well turn out to be a puppet, there was further evidence on Sunday that the South African is his own man.

Arthur’s influence was very much evident in the line-up announced by Pakistan for their three-match One-Day International series against the West Indies starting in the UAE from September 30.

While many of other foreign coaches who have worked in Pakistan in the past would refrain from throwing their weight around, Arthur is turning out to be no pushover.

He wasn’t too happy with the performance or fitness (or in some cases both) of players like Mohammad Hafeez, Umar Gul and Mohammad Irfan during the tour of England. None of the three players was included in Pakistan’s 16-man squad.

Arthur has been all praise for middle-order batsman Asad Shafiq since taking over as Pakistan’s head coach earlier this summer. Though many in Pakistan cricket’s think-tank see Asad as a specialist Test batsman and hence do not like to consider him for limited overs cricket, Arthur clearly doesn’t agree.

Sources told ‘The News’ that Arthur pushed for the inclusion of Asad in the ODI squad and the national selection committee, headed by former Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq, obliged.

Also in the squad are Umar Akmal and fast bowlers Sohail Khan and Rahat Ali while Sami Aslam has been excluded after failing to impress much in the ODI series against England.

Both Asad and Akmal last played in the format in 2015. While Shafiq’s previous match came in October 2015 against Zimbabwe in Harare, Akmal has not been part of an ODI XI since the 2015 World Cup.

Asad was picked after a strong showing in the recent National T20 Cup. He was the fourth-highest run-scorer with 310 at an average of 51.66 and a strike rate of 139.01. Akmal was recently recalled to the T20I side after assuring the PCB that there would not be any further issues with his conduct. He had been left out of the training camp in May, before the England tour, due to disciplinary reasons.

Hafeez has been rested after suffering a calf injury. Earlier, a similar injury had forced him out of the England series after the first ODI. The injury also kept him out of the T20I series against West Indies. Sharjeel Khan, Babar Azam and captain Azhar Ali will fulfill the top-order responsibilities. Azhar’s captaincy will also be under scrutiny in the series, following the 4-1 series defeat to England earlier this month.

Sohail, who has played 12 ODIs between 2008 and 2015, with the last one during the 2015 World Cup, was picked in place of Gul who had a disappointing series against England. Gul took 3 for 23 against Ireland but had a tougher time in the ODIs against England. He took three wickets in as many matches at an average of 54.

The squad also includes a specialist spinner in Yasir Shah and three spin-bowling allrounders - Mohammad Nawaz, Imad Wasim and Shoaib Malik.

The first and second ODIs will be played in Sharjah on September 30 and October 2 respectively, with the third match scheduled for October 5 in Abu Dhabi. Both teams will be looking to improve their rankings. West Indies are currently eighth on the ICC ODI Championship table with 94 points, while Pakistan are ninth on 86 points.

Pakistan’s ODI squad: Azhar Ali (captain), Sharjeel Khan, Babar Azam, Asad Shafiq, Shoaib Malik, Sarfraz Ahmed (vice-capt), Umar Akmal, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Nawaz, Imad Wasim, Yasir Shah, Rahat Ali, Mohammad Amir, Wahab Riaz, Hasan Ali, Sohail Khan.