May 23  
Saeed Anwar, Azhar Mahmood certain to make Ausralian tour squad

KARACHI: The national selection committee headed by Wasim Bari is expected to announce a 14-member squad for next month's tour of Australia by Friday. Our reporter was told by Board sources that the selection committee which also includes former Test players Mohsin Hasan Khan, Shafiq Ahmed and Aaqib Javed had held telephonic discussions among themselves and consulted captain Waqar Younis on the possible touring line-up.

'They have finalized the line-up which will have 14 players and they are no major surprises. The team should be announced in two days time," one source said. With all-rounder Abdul Razzak and off spinner Saqlain Mushtaq unavailable for the three-match One-day series in Australia from June 12-19 since they are playing county cricket in England, Azhar Mehmood will be included in the touring side.

Azhar returns from England on Thursday after enjoying a successful time with Surrey for whom he played a few matches as a back up to Saqlain.

The selectors have also decided to retain experienced opener Saeed Anwar although he has not played any international or domestic cricket since January due to a wrist injury. Saeed was recalled to the Pakistan squad for the second and final Test against New Zealand earlier this month at Karachi, but the match was aborted due to the suicide bombing attack outside the team hotel. The source said the selectors had decided to stick with Saeed as they and the captain were of unanimous opinion that on the hard and bouncy wickets in Australia, his presence would be important at the top of the order.

Saeed's services will be particularly useful against the experienced Australian pace attack of Glenn McGrath, Jason Gillispie, Brett Lee, Andy Bichel, complemented by the leg spin of Shane Warne. The 14 players will attend a short conditioning camp in Lahore from May 28 to June 2 to get the basics right and plan for the important tour. Pakistan and Australia clashed in the 1999 World Cup final with the latter winning comfortably.

But the general opinion among cricket critics and pundits remains that Pakistan is the only team at the moment which is capable of giving Australia a tough time at Test as well as one-day level.

The probable squad for Australia: Saeed Anwar, Imran Nazir, Shahid Afridi, Younis Khan, Yousaf Youhana, Inzamamul Haq, Misbah-ul-Haq/Faisal Iqbal, Rashid Latif, Azhar Mehmood, Shoaib Malik, Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Shoaib Akhtar and Muhammad Sami.