Kamran in, Malik out of Pakistan WC2011 probables

 LAHORE: Pakistan selectors Tuesday included spot-fixing suspect Kamran Akmal in a preliminary 30-man squad for the World Cup but left out former captain Shoaib Malik and leg-spinner Danish Kaneria.

The committee twice deferred announcing the squad as they sought clearance from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on players who were reportedly under suspicion of match-fixing during Pakistan's tour of England last year.

Shahid Afridi is expected to retain the one-day captaincy for the World Cup.

The 10th World Cup will be hosted jointly by Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka from February 19 to April 2, with
14 teams competing.

Pakistan will miss former opener Salman Butt and pace bowlers Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamer, who are suspended on spot-fixing charges.

They appear before an ICC tribunal in Doha from January 6-11 and could face life bans.

A squad for six one-dayers against New Zealand will be announced next week.

Pakistan received a two-week extension from the ICC on the December 19 deadline to announce the probables as they sought clearance on three players.

Teams now have until January 19 to announce a 15-man squad.

Kamran, 28, has been out of the team since Pakistan's most recent tour of England was rocked by spot-fixing allegations. He was also not selected for the team's neutral-venue series against South Africa.

He was excluded from the Twenty20 and Test squad for the New Zealand tour despite recovering from an appendix operation. He has since featured in domestic matches and scored his highest first-class score of 268.

But there have been suspicions of match-fixing against Kamran as well, with the ICC reportedly issuing notice to him regarding Pakistan's controversial defeat against Australia in the Sydney Test in January 2010.

Kamran claimed, however, he had contacted the ICC regarding his selection and was told that he was cleared for selection for the national team.

The 28-year-old Malik, who married Indian tennis star Sania Mirza last April, has been out of favour since a Twenty20 series against Australia in England in July.

Kamran, Malik and Kaneria appeared before PCB's integrity committee, formed on the directives of ICC, and submitted details of their assets and accounts last week but only Kamran was cleared.

Veteran batsman Mohammad Yousuf was also recalled among the probables after being left out of the Test series against New Zealand because of fitness problems. Also included was all-rounder Rana Naved-ul-Hasan.

World Cup 2011 preliminary squad: Shahid Afridi, Ahmed Shahzad, Mohammad Hafeez, Taufiq Umer, Nasir Jamshed, Mohammad Yousuf, Younis Khan, Misbah-ul-Haq, Umar Akmal, Azhar Ali, Asad Shafiq, Naved Yasin, Kamran Akmal, Sarfraz Ahmed, Salman Ahmed, Abdul Razzaq, Yasir Arafat, Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, Abdur Rehman, Saeed Ajmal, Yasir Shah, Zulfiqar Babar, Shoaib Akhtar, Umar Gul, Wahab Riaz, Sohail Tanveer, Tanveer Ahmed, Junaid Khan, Aizaz Cheama, Asad Ali.