LAHORE, Jan 12: Maverick fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar and rising middle-order batsman Umar Amin were the notable players named on Monday in a 15-member squad for the first One-day International of the three-match home series against Sri Lanka.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), it seems, has decided to prepare fast tracks for the series against Sri Lanka, as its national selection committee included six fast bowlers in the squad announced for the first ODI to be played in Karachi on Jan 21.

Chief selector Abdul Qadir picked his first Pakistan team, along with Saleem Jaffer and Shoaib Mohammad.

The contest against the Sri Lankans will also be the first assignment for Shoaib Malik after getting the extension as captain, this time for an indefinite period.

Umar, a 19-year-old from Rawalpindi, got the selectors’ nod for a series that will certainly test his tender skills against the world-class Muttiah Muralitharan.

Looking at the entire squad cautiously, it can be felt that Umar has been brought in to replace premier batsman Mohammad Yousuf who joined the breakaway Indian Cricket League (ICL) last year.

Representing Rawalpindi, Umar made his first-class debut against PIA in a Quaid-i-Azam Trophy Group ‘B’ game at the KRL Ground, Rawalpindi in November 2007.

In 10 first-class games he has played to date, the left-handed Umar has scored 716 runs at a noticeable average of 42.11, his runs tally including one century and six half-centuries. Moreover, the smart-looking player has also captured four wickets at 30.25.

As Sri Lanka’s bowling relies heavily on spin with the availability of wizardly Muralitharan backed up by the rising spin sensation Ajantha Mendis, the move to prepare fast pitches may give advantage to Pakistan.

But as several Pakistani batsmen have failed to perform on such pitches on number of occasions in the past, the decision could also backfire despite the fact that paceman Chaminda Vaas will not be a part of the touring squad.

“It is a well-balanced [Pakistan] squad and has been picked after keeping all the aspects of the strategy for the series in mind,” Pakistan coach Intikhab Alam told Dawn. “The squad contains a good number of fast bowlers, batsmen and spinners, and appears a nice combination of young and experienced campaigners.”

The pace attack — led by Shoaib Akhtar — has Umar Gul, Sohail Tanvir, Rao Iftikhar, Sohail Khan and Yasir Arafat.

If fit, Shoaib will be playing his first one-dayer after a long lay off of 14 months as he last played against India at Gwalior in November 2007. Though Shoaib, a veteran of 138 ODIs, had been selected for the three-match ODI series against the West Indies held in Abu Dhabi late last year, he developed fitness problems before the competition, thus missing the entire series.

Salman Butt and Khurram Manzoor have been picked as first-choice openers with Misbah-ul-Haq and Younis Khan as specialist batsmen in the middle.

Malik, Shahid Afridi, Sohail Tanvir and Yasir Arafat are also available as all-rounders.

Yasir’s international career, which started in 2000, is not that impressive. In eight ODIs, which he could play so far in eight years, Yasir has claimed just four wickets. Abdur Rauf could be a better selection, who made his international debut in 2008.

Squad: Shoaib Malik (captain), Misbah-ul-Haq, Salman Butt, Younis Khan, Shahid Afridi, Kamran Akmal (wicket-keeper), Sohail Tanvir, Shoaib Akhtar, Umar Gul, Rao Iftikhar, Saeed Ajmal, Khurram Manzoor, Sohail Khan, Yasir Arafat, Umar Amin.