Pakistan opener Shoaib Malik, whose father passed away on Wednesday morning, has not been considered for the third and final Test against India in Karachi, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced here.
Malik, who left here Sunday evening to be with his ailing father, has not been included as he would not be in the proper frame of mind to play the crucial match. The third and final Test of the series begins Sunday.
"PCB would like to point out that Shoaib Malik has not been considered for selection as he needs to be with his family in the wake of his father's death," a PCB statement said here on Wednesday.
Malik's place has gone to Faisal Iqbal, a middle-order batsman. Fast bowler Umar Gul, riding on impressive performances in domestic tournaments, has also been picked in the 16-member squad announced during the fifth and final day of the second Test here.
The PCB also said Karachi-based batsman Hasan Raza missed out on being selected because of a hairline fracture sustained in a local match recently, while batsman Asim Kamal was overlooked as he had skipped an ongoing domestic tournament because of his father's illness.
{{/usCountry}}The PCB also said Karachi-based batsman Hasan Raza missed out on being selected because of a hairline fracture sustained in a local match recently, while batsman Asim Kamal was overlooked as he had skipped an ongoing domestic tournament because of his father's illness.
{{/usCountry}}Squad: Inzamam-ul-Haq (captain), Younis Khan (vice-captain), Mohammad Yousuf, Abdul Razzaq, Shoaib, Akhtar, Shahid Afridi, Mohammad Sami, Salman Butt, Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, Kamran Akmal (wicket-keeper), Arshad Khan, Danish Kaneria, Imran Farhat, Mohammad Asif, Faisal Iqbal and Umar Gul.