ISLAMABAD, 29 October 2005 — Pakistan have recalled leg spinner Mushtaq Ahmed and fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar in a 16-man squad for the first Test against England on Nov. 12 in Multan.
The squad, announced yesterday, also includes two other leg spinners, Danish Kaneria and Shahid Afridi, four pace bowlers and middle order batsman Hasan Raza, who last played for Pakistan in November 2002 in Zimbabwe.
Mushtaq, 35, has not played a Test for two years after being displaced in the team by Kaneria. “All the selected players have shown convincing form to be picked for the first Test,” Pakistan Cricket Board director Abbas Zaidi told Reuters. “Mushtaq has been bowling well in England for Sussex and also he showed good form in the camp and in the practice game. The selectors felt it would be good to have someone as experienced as him in the Test squad.”
Shoaib, the country’s most experienced pace bowler, has not played for Pakistan since January when he was recalled from Australia with a hamstring injury.
Akhtar pulled out of March’s tour of India on fitness grounds and was overlooked by selectors for the trip to the West Indies in May. He has had problems with the board over disciplinary issues this year but those have been resolved. All-rounder Abdul Razzaq has already been ruled out of the first Test with an elbow injury.
