Pakistan axe Riaz for Bangladesh tour

Pakistan on Monday axed Wahab Riaz from the squad for the upcoming tour of Bangladesh after he was named in connection with a damaging spot-fixing scandal in England.

The 26-year-old did not play in the three-Test series which Pakistan won 1-0 against Sri Lanka last month before being dropped from the one-day squad.

The fast bowler, who took five wickets against India in the World Cup semi-final in March, was allegedly involved in the scandal for which former teammates Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamer were jailed by an English court earlier this month.

Agent Mazhar Majeed, also jailed for his role in fixing part of the Lord’s Test against England in August 2010, named Riaz and wicket-keeper Kamran Akmal during his trial last month.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) selection committee announced a 16-man squad for one Twenty20, three one-day internationals and two Tests.

Although chief selector Mohammad Ilyas gave no reason for Riaz’s non-selection, media reports speculated that Riaz and Akmal would be questioned by the International Cricket Council’s anti-corruption unit.

“We consulted team management and selected players on the basis of their recent performances,” Ilyas told reporters.

Pakistan open the tour with the only Twenty20 in Dhaka on November 29.

Riaz’s place went to promising paceman Mohammad Talha. The 23-year-old has played only one Test, against Sri Lanka in 2009.

All members of Pakistan’s one-day squad currently playing against Sri Lanka in the UAE have retained their places.

Squad: Misbah-ul Haq (captain), Mohammad Hafeez, Imran Farha, Shahid Afridi, Younis Khan, Umar Akm, Shoaib Malik, Sarfraz Ahmed, Saeed Ajmal, Abdul Rehman, Umar Gul, Aizaz Cheema, Junaid Khan, Sohail Tanvir, Abdul Razzaq, Asad Shafiq

Follow Emirates 24|7 on Google News.