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Anwar, Haq drop out of Dhaka Cup

The Dawn
27 October 1998



KARACHI, Oct 26: Pakistan suffered a double blow on Monday when Saeed Anwar and Inzamam-ul-Haq pulled out from the mini World Cup side. Both the batsmen cited injuries as reasons for withdrawal.

The two have been replaced by Salim Elahi and Akhtar Sarfaraz - both Pakistan A batsmen.

Pakistan team manager Azhar Zaidi said Anwar and informed of their problems on Monday morning.

``Saeed Anwar said he had a stiff back because of dehydration. He had been taking a heavy doze of antibiotics for an ear infection before the start of the Sahara Cup.

``Inzamam had a badly bruised foot. Besides, he was also having problems in his knee. After watching his name appear in the newspapers for the Dhaka tournament, he (Inzamam) came to me and informed that he would not be able to field and would also become a liability.

``The message was conveyed to the selection committee,'' Zaidi said.

While the selection of Akhtar Sarfaraz is laudable, the inclusion of Salim Elahi has raised several eye-brows. Elahi was not even considered for selection in the Pakistan A team that leaves for New Zealand on Oct 31 but finds a place in the national team.

Barring a century on debut in 1995-96 against Sri Lanka at Gujranwala, Elahi has been a consistent failure. His latest appearance for Pakistan was 18 months ago in the two-Test series against Sri Lanka. In three innings, he scored only 11, including two zeros.

Informed sources said Akhtar and Elahi have been included in the team on the recommendation of the captain and coach.

However, the interesting point is that when the selectors announced the team on Sunday, did they not know that Saeed Anwar and Inzamam-ul-Haq were injured. Anwar had missed the third Test while Inzamam was limping from the very first day and didn't come to field on the fourth day.

No vice-captain would be appointed for the Dhaka tour, chairman of the PCB Khalid Mahmood said. He stated that since it was a short tour, there was no need of Aamir Sohail's deputy.

``But even if a situation arose, any of the senior player with the consent of The Management will take charge of the team,'' he said from Lahore.

The revised team is:

Aamir Sohail (captain), Shahid Afridi, Ijaz Ahmad, Salim Malik, Yousuf Yohanna, Moin Khan, Wasim Akram, Azhar Mahmood, Shoaib Akhtar, Aqib Javed, Arshad Khan, Saqlain Mushtaq, Salim Elahi and Akhtar Sarfaraz.


Source: Dawn
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