KARACHI, Oct 2: Paceman Aqib Javed has been left out of the Pakistan cricket team that will be announced on Friday morning from Lahore for the first Test against South Africa starting from Monday at Rawalpindi.
According to well informed sources, Aqib has not been picked in the 14 players' tentative list that was prepared during the third and final one-day international between Pakistan and India.
Also missing from the team are 16-year-old players, Hasan Raza and Shahid Afridi, while a surprise name of Ali Naqvi is expected to be included along with that of Mushtaq Ahmad. If luck favours Shoaib Akhtar, he may also be among the 14.
Prospects were high for Aamir Sohail to regain his place in the national team despite failing to score in the first innings against South Africa in the three-day match being played here. However, fitness will be the key factor as he is suffering a sinus problem.
The likely ouster of Aqib Javed appears strange and mind-boggling as the bowler made a tremendous comeback by capturing 11 wickets in the Independence Cup in India when Pakistan was missing Waqar Younis and Wasim Akram.
Aqib, a veteran of 21 Tests in which he claimed 54 wickets at 33.07, snapped up three wickets for 55 runs in two Asia Cup games and another four wickets for 177 runs in Sahara Cup - the two events Pakistan lost because of the lacklustre performance of the batsmen.
Aqib's performance in the last six Tests he played for Pakistan has been outstanding. In the one-off Test against South Africa in 1994-95, he took five wickets for 182 runs and then in the two Tests against Zimbabwe in the same season, bagged eight wickets for 163. The 1995-96 series against Sri Lanka at home was his most successful series of career in which he emerged as the highest wicket-taker with 16 conceding 313 runs in three Tests.
However, after that brilliant performance, Aqib never played a Test for Pakistan and now again when Wasim Akram is out of commission, he is being sidelined.
The likely 14 to be named on Friday are:
Saeed Anwar (captain), Salim Elahi, Aamir Sohail, Ali Naqvi, Ijaz Ahmad, Inzamamul Haq, Mohammad Wasim, Azhar Mahmood, Moin Khan (wicket-keeper), Saqlain Mushtaq, Mushtaq Ahmad, Mohammad Husain, Waqar Younis and Shahid Nazir.