Kaneria dropped too; Pakistan won't take chance with late arrival Yousuf either
Kaneria dropped too; Pakistan won't take chance with late arrival Yousuf eitherPakistan are to drop wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal from their side for the second Test against England, starting at Edgbaston today, team captain Salman Butt told AFP.
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| Pakistan skipper Salman Butt (left) with Kamran Akmal (centre) and Danish Kaneria during the first Test at Trent Bridge last week. PIC/AFP |
And there is set to be no place in the side for late call-up Mohammad Yousuf after the batsman, who only arrived in England yesterday and missed the team's final training session.
Now Pakistan are set to give a Test debut to 24-year-old wicketkeeper Zulqarnain Haider, with the only other change to the team that lost the first of a four-Test series by a huge 354 runs at Trent Bridge last week the recall of Saeed Ajmal.
"We have made two changes in the side," said Butt.
"Kamran Akmal and Danish Kaneria have been dropped and their places have been taken by Zulqarnain Haider and Saeed Ajmal. There will be no Mohammad Yousuf in the team," Butt added.
Off-spinner Ajmal is in line to take the place of leg-spinner Kaneria, released back to English county side Essex after his one wicket at Trent Bridge cost an expensive 171 runs.
Former captain Yousuf was only called up into the squad hours after Pakistan lost at Trent Bridge, having been bowled out for 80 ufffd their lowest ever total against England ufffd and after arriving in Birmingham on Thursday, took no part in the team's training session that day.
Akmal's position came under severe scrutiny after a poor display in the first Test where he scored no runs in either innings and endured a nightmare match with the gloves.
He missed several chances, being too far back when Eoin Morgan, on five edged behind before going on to make 130 ufffd the former Ireland left-hander's maiden Test century.
He also reprieved Paul Collingwood, with whom Morgan shared a decisive first innings stand of 219, twice in the match.
In the first innings, he missed a stumping chance when Collingwood was on 48 and in the second dropped him first ball. That fumble came just a ball after Akmal's lone bright moment of the game, a brilliant one-handed catch to dismiss Kevin Pietersen.
In the past Akmal's batting ufffd he has six hundreds from 51 Tests ufffd has meant he has retained his place in spite of poor glovework.
Akmal errors have become a common feature of recent Pakistan displays and it appears ths selectors have now lost patience with the 28-year-old.
