Pakistan have held out naming their squad for the World Cup for as long as possible. However, when they did do it, they still held back the important job of naming the captain and deliberately so apparently.
pakistan cricket team 1
Shahid Afridi is being kept a tab on, it would seem. And it would appear the ODI series against New Zealand has become perhaps the most important series of his career as the Pakistan captain in the limited overs format with his character and reputation hinging on it.
That is the impression the Pakistan Cricket Board gave when they named Pakistan's ICC Cricket World Cup squad of fifteen but chose not to name the captain. And with Misbah ul Haq, Pakistan's Test captain, lurking in that squad, there are reports that perhaps Misbah is making a name for himself as a captain contention.
The team also includes former Pakistan captain, Younis Khan, while leaving out Mohammad Yousuf to the surprise of perhaps no one but Yousuf himself who felt he was up to scratch as far as form and fitness were concerned.
Pakistan's bowling line up includes veteran Shoaib Akhtar alongside the likes of Umar Gul, Wahab Riaz and Adbul Razzaq while the spin includes Saeed Ajmal in the lead spinner's role. Kamran Akmal wins his place as the wicket keeper for the World Cup after a swirl of controversies.
Pakistan's ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 Squad:
Shahid Afridi, Misbah-ul-Haq, Mohammad Hafeez, Kamran Akmal (wk), Younis Khan, Asad Shafiq, Umar Akmal, Abdul Razzaq, Abdur Rehman, Saeed Ajmal, Shoaib Akhtar, Umar Gul, Wahab Riaz, Sohail Tanvir, Ahmed Shehzad
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