Shahid Afridi Makes ODI Comeback

Islamabad: Shahid Afridi has been handed a last chance to perform at international level with his selection on Wednesday for Pakistan's one-day international cricket series in South Africa next month.

Afridi was recalled on Wednesday after being ignored for the one-day series against India in last year December.

Pakistan batsmen have been struggling on fast bouncy wickets in South Africa and are already trailing 2-0 in the three-match Test series with the last Test beginning at Centurion from tomorrow.

Qasim said it was not Afridi's hard hitting but his legspin bowling which had kept the allrounder, eighth on the all-time list of ODI appearances, in mind.

This month, Afridi led Pakistan A in a one-day series against Afghanistan, and Qasim said the selectors were satisfied with his fitness. He turns 33 on March 1.

Afridi has played 349 one-dayers for an average of 23, plus 348 wickets.

The chief selector said he wanted to give ODI captain Misbah-ul-Haq enough bowling choice in the spin department after watching South African batsmen struggle against slow bowlers in the Tests.

Durban and Centurion will host the two Twenty20s on March 1 and 3 before the five-match ODI series begins at Bloemfontein on March 10.

Middle-order batsman Umar Akmal and fast bowler Wahab Riaz, who could not make it to the Test team, were selected for both Twenty20s and ODIs.

Wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal was also overlooked for the Test series but returns to replace Sarfraz Ahmed behind the stumps in the shorter formats. Asad Shafiq, Abdur Rehman picked for Proteas ODI series.

ODI squad: Misbah-ul-Haq (captain), Mohammad Hafeez, Nasir Jamshed, Asad Shafiq, Younis Khan, Shoaib Malik, Kamran Akmal (wk), Umar Akmal, Shahid Afridi, Saeed Ajmal, Mohammad Irfan, Junaid Khan, Wahab Riaz, Umar Gul, Imran Farhat, Abdur Rehman.

Twenty20 squad: Mohammad Hafeez (captain), Nasir Jamshed, Shoaib Malik, Kamran Akmal (wk), Umar Akmal, Shahid Afridi, Saeed Ajmal, Mohammad Irfan, Wahab Riaz, Umar Gul, Ahmed Shehzad, Umar Amin, Zulfiqar Babar, Asad Ali, Junaid Khan.