Tuesday 23 April 2019 16:02, UK
Mohammad Amir has been left out of Pakistan's 15-man squad for this summer's ICC Cricket World Cup squad in England and Wales.
The 27-year-old left-arm paceman was banned from cricket for five years for his role in the spot-fixing scandal at the infamous Lord's Test between England and Pakistan in 2010, before returning to international cricket in 2016.
But recent poor form has seen Amir fall out of favour with selectors, and allowed exciting young pace prospects Shaheen Afridi - also a left-armer - and Mohammad Hasnain to sneak into the squad ahead of him.
Afridi and Hasnain are both just 19 years old and have only 10 and three ODI caps to their name, respectively, forming the basis of a youthful World Cup squad.
Of the 15 players picked, only four - captain Sarfaraz Ahmed, Haris Sohail, Mohammad Hafeez and Shoaib Malik - have experience of being involved in a World Cup before, though the inclusion of veterans Hafeez (38) and Malik (37) is said to be 'subject to fitness'.
Though they might be lacking in World Cup experience, Pakistan have included much of the squad that was successful on English soil in 2017 in winning the Champions Trophy, including leading wicket-taker and player of the tournament Hasan Ali.
Amir, and Asif Ali, has been included in a 17-man squad to face England in the five-match ODI series prior to the World Cup and so could still yet force his way into the final squad which must be named by May 23.
Pakistan squad: Sarfaraz Ahmed (captain), Abid Ali, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Sohail, Hasan Ali, Imad Wasim, Imam-ul-Haq, Junaid Khan, Mohammad Hafeez, Mohammad Hasnain, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Afridi, Shoaib Malik
You can watch every match of the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup on Sky Sports Cricket, starting with England vs South Africa at The Oval on Thursday, May 30.
