Futile exercise for PCB and selectors

Pakistan's blundering selectors and PCB were clueless before the match and were even more clueless after Wasim Akram, Moin Khan, Yousuf Youhana, Saeed Anwar and Shahid Afridi all failed to impress Friday at the Gaddafi Stadium.

The futile exercise was organized to watch the ageing, discarded and those recovering from injuries before finalising Pakistan squad for the forthcoming tour of Zimbabwe.

The day and night match ended in PCB Green beating PCB Reds by 75 runs.

Batting first, the PCB Greens were restricted to 188 for nine in their 50 overs and then shot out PCB Reds for a paltry 113 with 18.5 overs left still remaining.

For PCB Greens, wicket-keeper Kamran Akmal opener batted well to score39 off 40 balls with eight boundaries. Kamran dominated the partnership of 54 before being first out when he was adjudged LBW to give injury-prone Mohammed Zahid his first of three wickets.

Saeed Anwar was a notable failure, falling to the impressive Zahid for just three after coming to the crease at the fall of the second wicket. Zahid finished with excellent figures of three 13 in nine overs.

Yousuf Youhana scored a 38-ball 25 with four boundaries.

Riffatullah, in the later stages of the innings, helpedPCB Greens get a respectable total with a fine knock of 38, which was laced with five fours. He faced 64 balls.

PCB Reds never recovered from the horrors of five for three in the fourth over.

Shahid Afridi perished to the last ball of the opening over when Wasim Akram cleaned him up for a duck. Salman Butt went for two and Naved Latif for a third ball duck, both picked up by upcoming medium-pacer Abdur Rauf in the same over.

After that the remaining Reds batsmen found the going tough. Ijaz Ahmed Junior (23 off 53 balls), Yasir Hameed (16) and skipper Moin Khan (20 off 24 balls, two fours) made useful contributions.

Wasim, leading the Greens, bowled a fine spell of five overs, fourmaidens, four runs, one wicket. But the pick of the bowlers from the Greens was Rauf who finished with haul of four for 43 in 10 overs.