Asif recalled, Shoaib ignored in Champions Trophy squad

Fast bowler Mohammad Asif was recalled while Shoaib Akhtar was sidelined from Pakistan's 30-man preliminary squad for the Champions Trophy squad, announced on Monday.

Fast bowler Mohammad Asif was recalled while Shoaib Akhtar was sidelined from Pakistan's 30-man preliminary squad for the Champions Trophy squad, announced on Monday.

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Shoaib, who turns 34 next month, apparently failed to prove his fitness last week after which the selectors decided against recalling him in the provisional squad.

Shoaib was withdrawn from the World Twenty20 squad in May after suffering genital warts. He will wait for the tour of New Zealand scheduled for November to get another chance of making an international return.

However, there was good news for Asif, who will complete his ban September 22, a day before Pakistan open against West Indies in Champions Trophy starting on September 22.

Asif was banned for a year after testing positive for anabolic steroid nandrolone during the inaugural edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) last summer.

He is set to be included in the final 15-man squad to be named next month.

The selectors have also decided to bring back Pakistan's former Indian Cricket League (ICL) players Imran Nazir and Rana Naved-ul-Hasan.

They have also named a number of rookies in the squad, including Umer Akmal, the younger brother of wicketkeeper-batsman Kamran Akmal. Umer was one of the success stories of Pakistan A team's recently-concluded tour of Australia. Other newcomers include Azhar Ali and Sheharyar Ghani.

Preliminary Squad: Younis Khan (captain), Salman Butt, Nasir Jamshed, Khalid Latif, Azhar Ali, Imran Nazir, Mohammad Yousuf, Misbah-ul-Haq, Umar Amin, Umer Akmal, Sheharyar Ghani, Shoaib Malik, Shahid Afridi, Abdul Razzaq, Rana Naveed, Yasir Arafat, Fawad Alam, Kamran Akmal, Sarfraz Ahmed, Umar Gul, Mohammad Aamir, Abdul Rauf, Mohammad Asif, Mohammad Talha, Sohail Tanveer, Rao Iftikhar, Wahab Riaz, Saeed Ajmal, Abdul Rehman, Mohammad Hafeez.