Naved, Razzaq, Yousuf miss out

The experienced trio of Abdul Razzaq, Mohammad Yousuf and Naved Ul-Hasan have been omitted from Pakistan’s Twenty20 World Cup squad.

Salahuddin Ahmed, chief selector, said Yousuf was left out to give him a rest: ?Mohammad Yousuf is a world-class player. However, we have decided to give him a break because we want him fit and fresh for the following series and include some new faces for the South Africa tour.”

The decision to leave out Abdul Razzaq may come as surprise to some, with his aggressive batting and useful bowling, while Naved has performed fairly well for Sussex in the English competition, despite a poor showing in Saturday’s semi-final.

In their places are Misbah Ul-Haq and Fawad Alam, both stars of Pakistan’s domestic Twenty20 competition, while left-arm spinner Abdul Rehman is also included.

The tournament will also see Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif returning to the side after missing the World Cup earlier in the year.

Pakistan Squad: Shoaib Malik (capt), Younis Khan, Imran Nazir, Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif, Shoaib Akthar, Kamran Akmal, Mohammad Hafeez, Umar Gul, Shahid Afridi, Iftikhar Anjum, Fawad Alam, Abdur Rehman, Yasir Arafat, Misbah-ul-haq