End of road looms for Misbah after axe from all three squads

Karachi, Oct.23 (ANI): Pakistan middle order batsman Misbah-ul-haq's career seems to be over, as he has been axed from both the Test and one-day squad for the New Zealand series starting November 3 in the UAE.

He has also been dropped from the T20 team.

Haq's awful form with the bat in the recent past saw him being dropped from both the T20 and one-day squad, however, chief selector Iqbal Qasim maintains that he has been rested.

Qasim said the board has given the right-hand batsman a break from international cricket so that he can regain his lost form.

"We have given Misbah a rest from international cricket and want him to regain his confidence by playing in domestic matches," Qasim said while announcing the team for the UAE series.

Left hand opener Imran Farhat, apparently, gained the most from Haq's ouster as he has been recalled in the national team that would do duty during the New Zealand series.

"We want regular openers in the team," The News quoted Iqbal, as saying.

Showing faith in young opener Khalid Latif once again, the selectors have given him another chance to prove his worth.

Latif, who made his one-day debut against Zimbabwe last year, has been in prolific form in the domestic circuit.

Tainted fast bowler Mohammad Asif has not been included in the one-day and T20 squad, but he has been included in the Test team for the three-match series against the Kiwis in New Zealand.

Pakistan is scheduled to play three One-day Internationals (November 3, 6 and 9) in Abu Dhabi before two Twenty20 Internationals (November 12 and 13) in Dubai. The Pakistan team will then fly to New Zealand for the Test series.

The Pakistan team:

One-day Squad: Younis Khan (captain), Salman Butt, Imran Farhat, Khalid Latif, Mohammad Yousuf, Shoaib Malik, Shahid Afridi, Abdul Razzaq, Umer Akmal, Kamran Akmal, Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, Saeed Ajmal, Umar Gul, Mohammad Aamer, Rao Iftikhar Anjum, Wahab Riaz.

Twenty20 squad: Shahid Afridi (captain), Khalid Latif, Imran Nazir, Umer Akmal, Shoaib Malik, Kamran Akmal, Abdul Razzaq, Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, Umar Gul, Mohammad Aamer, Rao Iftikhar Anjum, Saeed Ajmal, Imran Farhat, Fawad Alam, Sohail Tanvir.

Test squad: Younis Khan (captain), Khurrum Manzoor, Salman Butt, Imran Farhat, Mohammad Yousuf, Shoaib Malik, Fawad Alam, Faisal Iqbal, Kamran Akmal, Danish Kaneria, Saeed Ajmal, Yasir Arafat, Umar Gul, Mohammad Asif, Mohammad Aamer, Abdur Rauf, Umer Akmal, Sarfraz Ahmed. (ANI)