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Karachi: Pakistani selectors are expected to include controversial pace bowlers Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif in the preliminary squad of 30 players for the Champions Trophy to be held from September 22 in South Africa.
PCB sources said Chairman Ejaz Butt had given clearance to interim Chief Selector Wasim Bari to select Mohammad Asif in the preliminary list but had told Bari to consult the team management in Sri Lanka on Akhtar.
Bari, a former Test captain, is due to leave shortly for Colombo where he will consult with captain Younis Khan, coach Intikhab Alam and manager Yawar Saeed on the squad for the One-day rubber there and also on the preliminary squad for the Champions Trophy.
All cricket boards have to submit their preliminary squads by July 23 to the International Cricket Council.
India has already announced its preliminary squad for the eight-nation tournament.
Asif will complete a 12-month ban for testing positive in a dope test in the Indian Premier League last year on September 22, the day the tournament starts.
"The PCB is already getting clearance from the ICC on the inclusion of Asif in the preliminary squad," one source said.
The PCB has already indicated that they don't see any reason for Asif not playing in the Champions Trophy once his ban ends on the September 22.
But other sources in the Board admitted that technically the ICC could raise objections to Asif playing in the Champions Trophy.
"For one, when the preliminary squad is sent to the ICC, Asif is still serving the ban for the positive dope test. Secondly the tournament is now due to start two days earlier and the day it starts it is the last day for Asif's ban," the source noted.
The Board also fined Asif one million rupees for misconduct and bringing Pakistan cricket into disrepute during his 19-days detention in Dubai last year for possession of small quantity of hashish.
The source said that as far as Akhtar was concerned, his selection for the Sri Lanka One-day series and the Champions Trophy would depend entirely on his fitness and whether the team management wanted him in the team.
Akhtar himself has said he is fit and ready to play in any form of the game.
Indian cricket league players, Rana Naved and Imran Nazir who have resigned from the league are also in line to be called up for the One-day series.
