LONDON, 21 July 2006 — Pakistan vice-captain Younis Khan handed his team a boost ahead of next week’s second Test against England when he returned to action after a knee injury.

Khan, 28, missed the drawn first Test at Lord’s last week but was back on the field for his country’s four-day match against Northamptonshire, which began yesterday.

If he comes through the game unscathed, Khan is certain to return to the Pakistan Test team at Old Trafford, Manchester on July 27.

Khan, who has scored five hundreds in his last 11 Tests, is captaining Pakistan at Northampton as coach Bob Woolmer rests several first-choice players including regular skipper Inzamam-ul-Haq.

Woolmer said: “He is 100 percent fit and will be back and firing, which is very good news for us.” Pakistan all-rounder Abdul Razzaq, leg-spinner Danish Kaneria and Lord’s double-centurion Mohammad Yousuf all sit out the Northamptonshire warm-up.

Team manager Zaheer Abbas hinted leg-spinner Mushtaq Ahmed, currently playing county cricket in England with Sussex, could be called into the side at Old Trafford if the pitch looks like it will take spin.

The Pakistan Cricket Board have sanctioned his inclusion as an additional member of the touring party and Abbas said: “If we are going to call him for Old Trafford we have to play him.

“He has been playing here and has done very well so there is no need for him to get a game beforehand.”

India Pick Tendulkar, Mongia for Sri Lanka Series

In Bombay, a fit-again Sachin Tendulkar will return to the India team for next month’s triangular one-day series in Sri Lanka following the shoulder injury that has sidelined him since March. Selectors included India’s premier batsman in a 15-man squad yesterday for the series involving Sri Lanka and South Africa to be played in Colombo from Aug. 14-29.

In another other change to the squad that lost a one-day series 4-1 in West Indies in May, left-handed all-rounder Dinesh Mongia was recalled after a year’s absence.

Opener Robin Uthappa and middle-order batsman Venugopal Rao have been dropped.

“We are looking at Mongia as an all-rounder, especially his ability to bowl left-arm spin,” chairman of selectors Kiran More told a news conference. “We have two off-spinners (Harbhajan Singh and Ramesh Powar) and we want more options in the spin department.”

Leg-spinner Anil Kumble missed out on a recall but More hinted at his possible return in the near future. Kumble, 35, is India’s most successful one-day bowler with 329 wickets but has played little limited overs cricket since the last World Cup.The team will undergo a two-phased camp in Bangalore before leaving for Sri Lanka on Aug. 10.