Akhtar, Gul, Afridi dropped for series against Zimbabwe

KARACHI, January 13: Pakistan selectors on Sunday left out fast bowlers Shoaib Akhtar and Umar Gul and experienced all-rounder Shahid Afridi while announcing the probables for the One-day series against Zimbabwe.
Chief selector Salahuddin Ahmed said the board wanted to give a break to the unfit pacers and provide a chance to the promising players.
"We had decided to try out some young players against Zimbabwe but the senior players not considered for the camp definitely remain in contention," Ahmed said.
On the exclusion of the two fast bowlers, he said the board had taken a policy decision, the players who had fitness problems would have to prove themselves match-fit before being considered for selection.
Both Shoaib and Gul struggled with their fitness on the recent tour of India with Gul returning home without playing in the Test series.
Shoaib, who made a comeback to the national team in India after serving a 13-matches ban, was not at his best in the last two Tests
The chief selector said the board would be organising a pentangular tournament immediately after the Zimbabwe series and the three main pacers - Shoaib, Gul and Mohammad Asif - would play in it.
Pakistan Cricket Board sources said the decision to drop the senior players was also aimed at giving out a message to them.
But he said all three pacers and Afridi would definitely make a comeback in Australia series in March-April if they proved their fitness.
The selectors have also dropped Yasir Hameed, Abdul Rehman and Faisal Iqbal from the squad that toured India.
The conditioning camp for the series will be held in Lahore from Tuesday. Pakistan plays Zimbabwe in the first One-dayer on January 21.