Senior players including Shoaib Akhtar, Mohammad Yousuf and Younus Khan could not find a place in Pakistan's list of 30 probables for this year's Twenty20 World Cup in West Indies.
Announcing a shortlist of 30 players for the tournament which Pakistan won last year in England, PCB Chairman Ejaz Butt said that the selectors had relied more on young blood given the fast format of T20 cricket.
"We will announce the final 15-member squad on March 8 and also the captain," he said.
Senior batsman Younus Khan, who captained Pakistan to the T20 World Cup also does not feature in the shortlist of probables.
Butt was particularly harsh while talking about fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar insisting there was no justification for picking him in the squad.
"On what basis do we select him, we can't select him on basis of just a handful of one-day matches. He has not played any international cricket for one year now," Butt said.
Shoaib, who is in danger of also being dropped from the list of players who will get central contracts this year, last played for Pakistan in May in Dubai against Australia. Since then he has undergone a knee operation and has struggled with fitness and disciplinary issues.
{{/usCountry}}Shoaib, who is in danger of also being dropped from the list of players who will get central contracts this year, last played for Pakistan in May in Dubai against Australia. Since then he has undergone a knee operation and has struggled with fitness and disciplinary issues.
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