Pak call up Shafiq, Irfan to replace suspended trio for England ODI series

LONDON - The Pakistan team has replaced ’spot-fixing’ accused trio with batsman Asad Shafiq and fast bowler Mohammad Irfan for the five- match ODI series against England, to be played from September 10-22.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has provisionally suspended captain Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir over the charges leveled against them.

“We’ve decided to just include two players and have a squad of 15 rather than 16,” The News quoted Shahid Afridi, Pakistan’s one-day captain, as saying.

Afridi is confident that the new additions will adapt to the conditions quickly like opener Shahzaib Hasan and all-rounder Fawad Alam, who sparkled in Pakistan’s practice match against Somerset on Thursday.

“Shahzaib and Fawad played brilliantly. They’ve helped us to refocus and regroup and now we are looking forward to the upcoming matches with renewed confidence,” Afridi said.

He also insisted that batsman Umar Akmal and all-rounder Abdul Razzaq will be fit for Sunday’s Twenty20 match at Cardiff.

Akmal was hit on the face by a ball, while Razzaq has been suffering a back problem.

“There was nothing serious about their injuries. Both Razzaq and Umar Akmal are perfectly alright and are looking forward to playing in Cardiff,” Afridi said. (ANI)