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Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is likely to retain Waqar Younis as captain for the Test matches, but the consensus for the one-day skipper is yet to emerge as three players Wasim Akram, Moin Khan and Shoaib Akhtar are in the running for the slot.

Well informed sources told Dawn that PCB is contemplating to form separate teams for both versions (Tests and one-dayers), and still considers Waqar to be the best choice for Test captain. However, the PCB is in a quandary to find a leader for the one-day edition of the game.

To assess form and fitness of some senior and junior players before selecting the Pakistan team for the twin tour of Zimbabwe and South Africa, PCB is organising a one-day match at the Gaddafi Stadium, Friday. Akram and Moin are playing in that match.

The tour is starting from Nov 1 and Pakistan are to play two Test and five one-day matches in each country. If Akram and Moin succeed in proving their fitness, they will vie for the captaincy of the one-dayer. Otherwise Shoaib will be another alternative for the PCB.

PCB is considering all options seriously to avoid any further debacle after 3-0 defeat by Australia in the Test series held at offshore Colombo and Sharjah this month.

But can the PCB appoint Wasim as captain? Will PCB set aside the recommendations of the one-man judicial commission headed by former justice Malik Mohammad Qayyum which probed into the match-fixing and gambling allegations levelled against some members of the Pakistan team from certain quarters.

Justice Qayyum had recommended that PCB avoid appointing Wasim as captain in future. But the PCB, sources say, is more concerned in building up strong teams to avoid disasters such as witnessed in the current series and in the three one-day tournaments.

Moin, who was sacked as captain in 2001 and replaced by Waqar, is also likely to make a comeback in the international arena.

Earlier, he was to be considered for the Test series against Australia.

For this, PCB included Moin in the Pakistan 'A' team to play inthe home series against Sri Lanka 'A' last month. But under his captaincy, the 'A' team lost the second unofficial Test at Multan. After that Moin left the team and did not lead it in the three-match one-day series.

© Dawn