Younus Khan in provisional Pakistan Test squad; Ajmal ready for bowling test

Younus Khan is in the 19-member squad, which will be cut to 15, for next week's first Test v Australia in Dubai, while Saeed Ajmal is reportedly ready for a bowling action exam.

Younus Khan preparing to play a shot against Sri Lanka in a Test in Dubai in 2011. Mike Young / The National / October 27, 2011

Pakistani selectors have named experienced opener Taufeeq Umar and senior batsman Younus Khan in a 19-member squad for the two-Test series against Australia in the UAE, starting next week.

“This squad will be trimmed down to 15 members after the four-day side match against Australia in Sharjah from October 15 to 18,” the Pakistan Cricket Board said in a statement.

The board also included Mohammad Hafeez in the provisional squad, with his selection subject to a fitness test.

Hafeez had injured his left hand in a practice match before the recent one-day series against Australia in the UAE and had to return home for rehabilitation.

Former captain Younus had criticised the selectors for not considering him for the one-day series against Australia.

The 36-year-old said the selectors had disrespected him and he was ready to also step down from the Test squad if they wanted to build a new team but escaped punishment from the board for his comments.

Also back in the squad was leg spinner Yasir Shah, who played an ODI and two Twenty20 matches against Zimbabwe in 2011.

The selectors also named uncapped pace bowler Ataullah, whose bowling action was reported by match officials during the recent national T20 championship in Karachi.

The first Test in Dubai will start on October 22.

Squad: Ahmed Shehzad, Mohammad Hafeez, Taufeeq Umar, Shaan Masood, Sami Aslam, Misbah-ul-Haq, Younus Khan, Asad Shafiq, Azhar Ali, Harris Sohail, Muhammad Talha, Rahat Ali, Imran Khan, Ehsan Adil, Ataullah, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Zulfiqar Babar, Yasir Shah, Reza Hasan

Meanwhile, former Pakistan off-spinner Saqlain Mushtaq believes Saeed Ajmal has rectified his action to permissible limits and is ready to undergo a test to return to cricket, the country’s board said on Tuesday.

The PCB will first send Ajmal, who was barred from bowling in international cricket for an illegal action, for an informal review, chairman Shaharyar Khan told reporters.

The board had hired Mushtaq on a short-term contract to help Ajmal correct his action, which breached the 15 degrees level of tolerance allowed by the International Cricket Council for bowlers to straighten their arm.

“Saqlain has given a positive report that Ajmal has managed to remodel his bowling action to within the permissible limits of the ICC. He and Ajmal are both ready to go for the informal tests,” Khan said.

“Once he clears the informal test we will than ask the ICC to test out Ajmal so that he can be cleared before the World Cup.”

Ajmal, who has been Pakistan’s leading wicket-taker in all formats for the last three years, was first reported by match officials in August during the first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle.

“Ajmal is vital to our chances in the World Cup so we will follow all the permitted routes to get him cleared by the ICC,” Khan added.

“Very soon we will be sending him for an informal review to one of the three biomechanic labs of the ICC and we are hopeful he can be available for the World Cup.”

In Ajmal’s absence, Australia thrashed Pakistan in the lone Twenty20 and blanked them 3-0 in the three match ODI series in the UAE.

Khan, who visited Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and India to drum up support for the return of international cricket to Pakistan, said some subcontinent teams were ready to send their national teams to Pakistan.

“I had some positive discussions during my tour and from 2015 onwards I am hopeful that representative cricket will return to Pakistan,” he said.

“Some associate countries like Ireland and Afghanistan are also ready to send their teams to Pakistan.”

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