Pakistan call on youth

New captain Younus Khan will lead an inexperienced Pakistan squad in preparation for the first Test against Sri Lanka starting on Saturday.

Five newcomers in squad to face Sri Lanka

New captain Younus Khan will lead an inexperienced Pakistan squad in preparation for the first Test against Sri Lanka starting on Saturday. The Pakistan Cricket Board has named five uncapped players in a 15-man squad for the game in Karachi, the team's first five-day match in almost 18 months. Opening batsman Ahmed Shahzad has been rewarded for scoring a century against the Sri Lankans in the current warm-up match, being elevated into the squad despite not being involved in the 22-man training camp. Shahzad is likely to open with Salman Butt although fellow rookie Khurram Manzoor is also in the mix. "We are facing problems in the opening slots and both the new openers are good prospects for Pakistan," chief selector Abdul Qadir said. "Shahzad scored 146 against a good team and one could not ignore his yesterday's performance. "For the home series I believe if a youngster performs well he should be given a chance and that's the main reason we selected Shahzad." Fast bowlers Mohammad Talha and Sohail Khan could also make their debut while all-rounder Fawad Alam is the other uncapped player included in the squad. With Shoaib Akhtar unavailable due to a knee injury, Umar Gul will lead an inexperienced pace attack with Sohail Tanveer overlooked and Danish Kaneria named as the solitary spinner. Asim Kamal played the last of his 12 Tests against England in 2005 but looks set to return to the middle order alongside skipper Younus and former captain Shoaib Malik. Younus and coach Intikhab Alam will be in charge of finalising the starting XI. "The captain is the general of the team who has to lead the side in the field so it's a good thing that he should select his own final playing XI," Qadir said. Squad:
Younis Khan (captain), Salman Butt, Khurram Manzoor, Ahmed Shahzad, Misbah-ul-Haq, Shoaib Malik, Kamran Akmal, Faisal Iqbal, Asim Kamal, Fawad Alam, Umar Gul, Danish Kaneria, Sohail Khan, Mohammad Talha, Yasir Arafat.