Pak Drops Shehzad, Gul From Asia, World T20 Squads, India Toughest-says Watson - Eastern Mirror
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Pak drops Shehzad, Gul from Asia, World T20 squads, India toughest-says Watson

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By EMN Updated: Feb 10, 2016 10:29 pm

PTI
KARACHI, FEBRUARY 10

Pakistan selectors on Wednesday axed seasoned opener Ahmed Shehzad and experienced pace bowler Umar Gul from the Asia T20 and World T20 squad because of poor and inconsistent form.
Batsmen Sohaib Maqsood and Muhammad Rizwan have also not been included in the 15-member squad for the two T20 events in Bangladesh and India.
The selectors, meanwhile, have inducted uncapped left arm pacer Rumman Raees and rookie all-rounder Muhammad Nawaz, besides recalling Test opener Khurrum Manzoor, who has never played in a T20 international for Pakistan.
The exclusion of Shehzad, Maqsood and Rizwan — all batsmen — was expected as they had been struggling in recent matches.
The sources, in fact, said that the selectors had delayed the announcement of the squad for three days as they were uncertain about dropping Shehzad and were also considering wicketkeeper batsman Kamran Akmal.
“There were also some issues with the fitness of tall left arm pacer Muhammad Irfan also,” a source said.
Chief selector Haroon Rasheed, in a statement, said that while picking the squad the team management and skipper Shahid Afridi were consulted.
“The T20 squad has been selected keeping in mind the conditions during Asia Cup and World T20 and the recent performances of some players in domestic and A team tours. The team is a fine blend of experience and youth and the selectors believe the team will do well in both tournaments,” Rasheed said.
Nawaz, Raees and Manzoor have all impressed in the domestic tournament and on recent Pakistan A team tours.
Nawaz, a left arm spinner and left handed batsman, has already snapped up two man-of-the-match awards in the ongoing Pakistan Super League in Dubai.
Interestingly Nawaz, Raees, Manzoor and batsman Babar Azam, who has scored five half centuries in nine ODIs, and middle order batsman Ifthikar Ahmed have not played in a T20 international for the national team.
Meanwhwhile, a New Delhi based newspaper reported that Pakistan may not play the upcoming ICC World T20 if its government refuses security clearance to the cricket team to travel to India as the ICC has no plans to stage matches at neutral venues. .
Another team could be asked to step in for Pakistan in the month-long event that begins on March 8, an Indian cricket administrator who attended an ICC meeting in Dubai last week told the newspaper on Tuesday.
Some media reports on Monday quoted Khan as saying a proposal was floated that Pakistan’s games be moved to a neutral venue. The Nawaz Sharif government may not allow the team to play in India as it faced security threats, Khan said at the meeting.
While the ICC refused to comment, uncertainty prevailed over not just the men’s team but also the women’s, who, too, will be battling it out for the biggest prize in the shortest format of the game.
The sixth edition of the World T20 will be spread over seven Indian cities but Pakistan will play league matches only in Kolkata, Dharamsala and Mohali, considered a “safe bet” for the visitors.
Asked about the possibility of the Pakistan government denying permission to the team, an Indian cricket official said, “You would have noticed in the ongoing under-19 World Cup, it has gone ahead without Australia which pulled out due to security concerns. Ireland was invited to replace Australia.”
Windies players object to pay cut
IANS adds from Port of Spain, Trinidad: Fresh controversy appears to be brewing between the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) and the squad preparing to participate in the T20 World Cup in India, according to media reports.
The players, captained by all-rounder Darren Sammy, are objecting to a 75 percent pay cut imposed by the WICB ahead of the World Cup, set to begin on March 8 in India, reports CMC.
Sammy has reportedly written to the WICB requesting an urgent meeting to be held on February 14, the Valentine’s Day. Sammy has been quoted as saying that the West Indies players will each earn $21,000 if they participate compared to $135,000 received from the last tournament.
Eleven of the players on the squad were part of the West Indies team that won the T20 World Cup in 2012 in Sri Lanka. The fresh controversy between the WICB and the T20 squad is brewing about a year and a half after the squad called off their tour of India abruptly over a longstanding payment structure dispute.
India toughest: Watson
A Dubai report says Australian all-rounder Shane Watson believes that hosts India will be the biggest threat to his team in the World T20 which is scheduled to start on March 9. Watson, who has had extensive experience of playing in the sub-continent thanks to the Indian Premier League (IPL), believes that India have the firepower to go the distance on their home turf. Australia are scheduled to take on the hosts in their final group match in Mohali on March 27.
“I think India will be the toughest team because it’s in their home conditions,” Watson was quoted as saying by cricket.com.au on Wednesday.
Watson believes that the Indian team have quality players in every department. “India have a good all-round team; their batting has firepower all the way through, bowling-wise, their spinners are world class and they have some good quicks,” the 34-year-old said.
“Ashish Nehra is bowling really well and (Jasprit) Bumrah has been a great find for them. They have a really well balanced team so I think they will be a big challenge.”
India have won the tournament once in 2007 and in 2014 they made it to the finals but lost to neighbours Sri Lanka by six wickets.

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By EMN Updated: Feb 10, 2016 10:29:49 pm
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