AP, Islamabad :
Pakistan selectors on Sunday gave in-form batsman Younis Khan a chance to make the World Cup by naming him in the squad for the first two games of the five-match one-day international series against New Zealand.
Khan criticized selectors for dropping him from the ODI series against Australia but the 37-year-old batsman forced his way back after hitting four centuries in the last five Test matches in the United Arab Emirates.
Khan made three Test centuries in Pakistan’s 2-0 Test series victory against Australia before notching another against New Zealand in the series drawn 1-1.
“This is our final chance to Test all our potential players before the World Cup,” chief selector Moin Khan said in a statement. “We have inducted all our fit players and it is pretty much the last opportunity for the players to cement their World Cup places.”
Fast bowler Umar Gul will make a comeback after seven months out because of a knee injury while wicketkeeper Sarfraz Ahmed’s aggressive batting in the last two Test series has earned him a place in both the Twenty20 and one-day squads.
Ahmed has not played an international Twenty20, but is likely to make his debut in back to back T20s against New Zealand at Dubai next Thursday and Friday before the ODI series begins from Dec. 8.
“Younis has been recalled due to his sparkling form while Sarfraz Ahmed will be featuring for the first time in the Twenty20s,” the chief selector said.
Sarfraz’s inclusion meant that selectors wanted Umar Akmal to concentrate on his batting as the hard-hitting batsmen has struggled while doing additional job of wicketkeeping in both Twenty20s and ODIs.
Opening batsman Ahmed Shehzad has also recovered from a head injury after he was hit by a Corey Anderson bouncer and missed the last two Test matches against New Zealand.
Middle-order batsman Sohaib Maqsood was not considered for either of the Twenty20s or the first two ODIs after he sustained a hand injury during the one-day match against the United Arab Emirates while representing Pakistan A.
Twenty20 squad: Shahid Afridi (captain), Ahmed Shehzad, Mohammad Hafeez, Haris Sohail, Umar Akmal, Owais Zia, Saad Nasim, Sarfraz Ahmad, Anwar Ali, Mohammad Irfan, Raza Hasan, Sohail Tanvir, Umar Gul, Wahab Riaz.
One-day squad: Misbah-ul-Haq (captain), Mohammad Hafeez, Ahmed Shehzad, Nasir Jamshed, Younis Khan, Asad Shafiq, Umar Akmal, Shahid Afridi, Sarfraz Ahmad, Bilawal Bhatti, Haris Sohail, Mohammad Irfan, Sohail Tanvir, Umar Gul, Wahab Riaz, Zulfiqar Babar.
