Pakistan recall Afridi; Malik, Akmal dropped for West Indies tour

Pakistan have recalled former captain Shahid Afridi for a one-day series in West Indies but senior players Imran Farhat, Shoaib Malik and Kamran Akmal have been dropped for poor displays in last month’s Champions Trophy. Ahmed Shahzad and Umar Akmal were also recalled and Pakistan included uncapped Haris Sohail, Zulfiqar Babar and wicketkeeper Rizwan Ahmed in the ODI and T20 squads. Pakistan play five ODIs and two T20 matches on the tour this month. “We have started our rebuilding process keeping the 2015 World Cup in mind,” chief selector Iqbal Qasim told a news conference in Lahore on Wednesday. [caption id=“attachment_926055” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Experienced all rounder Afridi, who has played 354 one-day internationals, was left out of the Champions Trophy squad. AP[/caption] Experienced all rounder Afridi, who has played 354 one-day internationals, was left out of the Champions Trophy squad but Qasim said the 33-year-old would be useful in the rebuilding process. “The pitches in West Indies are also doubled paced and low bounced and Afridi can not only shore up the lower order but also be effective as a bowler on such pitches.” Pakistan lost all three group matches in the Champions Trophy in England. ODI: Nasir Jamshed, Ahmed Shahzad, Mohammad Hafeez, Misbah-ul-Haq (captain), Asad Shafiq, Umar Akmal, Shahid Afridi, Saeed Ajmal, Wahab Riaz, Junaid Khan, Mohammad Irfan, Asad Ali, Umar Amin, Mohammad Rizwan, Abdul Rehman, Haris Sohail. T20: Nasir Jamshed, Ahmed Shahzad, Mohammad Hafeez (captain), Umar Akmal, Shahid Afridi, Hammad Azam, Saeed Ajmal, Wahab Riaz, Junaid Khan, Mohammad Irfan, Asad Ali, Umar Amin, Sohail Tanvir, Zulfiqar Babar, Haris Sohail. (Editing by Justin Palmer). Reuters