LAHORE - There were no surprises as the Pakistan Cricket Board announced three players to augment the Pakistan squad touring England for the triangular series that follows after the second Test at Old Trafford. They are Shahid Afridi, Imran Nazir and Shoaib Malik - all three bits and pieces players, the three-in-one kind to quote Waqar Younis, though of the three Nazir doesn't bowl.

The three would be joining the team on May 31.

These three would be replacing Mohammad Wasim, Imran Farhat and Mushtaq Ahmed.

Mohammad Sami would be staying on in England, where he would remain under treatment for his shin injury.

The induction of these three means a squad of 16, instead of the customary 15 for ODI's. But the PCB Chairman, said that since the team contains quite a few youngsters, the exposure could come handy for them and justified the additional expense.

So popular is Afridi that some would argue he must have a role in the longer version of the game, despite being too impetuous for his own good. But he more than makes up for sometimes, bungling with his shot selection with his fastish leg-break bowling and athleticism in the field.

Both Afridi and Nazir are explosive openers, who, if they get going, can put any attack to the sword.

Shoaib Malik for his part is considered the best young off-spinner in Pakistan, and as such has been for the last couple of years drafted in as an understudy to Saqlain Mushtaq. Shoaib had recently fallen foul of umpires in a three-nation event at Sharjah, who reported him for chucking. But he seems to have reformed himself to give the Pakistan selectors enough confidence to send him on tour.

Shoaib is also a livewire in the field, traditionally Pakistan's weakest link, and a reasonably good bat who has made a couple of hundreds batting late in the order in first class cricket the previous season.

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