Pakistan selectors have left senior fast bowlers Shoaib Akhtar and Muhammad Asif out of the squad for the first two one-day internationals against Bangladesh to be played next month.
Shoaib was not considered as he faced a disciplinary hearing while Asif had yet to recover fully from an elbow injury that had kept him out of action since October, a spokesman for the Pakistan board said. Shoaib is due to appear before the Pakistan Cricket Board's disciplinary committee on April 1 to respond to several violations of the players Code of Conduct.
"When these players are available to us they would be considered for remaining matches," chief selector Salahuddin Ahmed told Reuters. Pakistan plays five one-day internationals and a Twenty20 match against Bangladesh between April 8-21. Selectors have recalled pacer Umar Gul, who wasinjured during the tour of India in November and had returned home before the test series due to a back problem.
Batsman Bazid Khan has also won a recall after his high-scoring performances in domestic cricket. The series against Bangladesh had been pencilled in by the board after Australia postponed a test series this month due to security reasons.
Bangladesh will play in Lahore, Faisalabad, Lahore, Multan and Karachi.