Pakistan included fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar in a 30-man preliminary squad for the Champions Trophy on Tuesday to give him a chance to prove his fitness for the September tournament being hosted by the country. The selectors also called on several uncapped young pacers after the board left out Mohammad Asif, who has been suspended following Monday's announcement that he tested positive for banned substances playing in the Indian Premier League. Senior batsman Mohammad Yousuf was another absentee having asked the selectors not to consider him for religious reasons. Shafqat Naghmi, the Pakistan Cricket Board's chief operating officer, told a news conference the 30 players would all undergo dope tests on July 19 and 20 in Lahore conducted by the PCB. “Any player who fails the test or avoids giving a sample will not be considered for the final Champions Trophy squad and will also face disciplinary action under our anti-doping regulations,” Naghmi said. Shoaib had been asked to pay a fine of seven million rupees ($247,600) by July 14 to be considered for selection. However, Shoaib's lawyer informed the board he would only consider paying the fine when the High Court took a final decision on his petition against both the ban and fine. The court had suspended the ban but not the fine. “We never said he couldn't play if he didn't pay the fine. He has said he will pay the fine when the court orders him and we accept that. Right now we have given him a chance to prove his fitness and get picked in the final fifteen,” Naghmi said. The selectors also recalled wicketkeeper, Kamran Akmal in the preliminary squad after he was dropped for the June 24 to July 6 Asia Cup because of poor form. Asif was in the preliminary squad until his name was announced by the Indian Premier League as a dope offender on Monday. Pakistan hosts the biennial Champions Trophy on Sept. 11-28 but the eight top teams event will be played under a cloud after players from Australia, New Zealand and England raised safety concerns. Last week's blasts in the capital Islamabad and Karachi further endangered Pakistan's chances of hosting the event. The International Cricket Council (ICC) is awaiting a security assessment of Pakistan during the Asia Cup, which finished here on Sunday. The ICC categorically said it is following a security process and will not compromise on it. In case Pakistan is not found fit to host the Trophy, Sri Lanka has been chosen as the alternate venue. The preliminary squad will be cut to 15 on Aug.11. Squad: Shoaib Malik (captain), Misbahul Haq (vice captain), Salman Butt, Nasir Jamshed, Khalid Latif, Khurrum Manzoor, Ahmed Shahzad, Yasir Hameed, Younis Khan, Azhar Ali, Bazid Khan, Shahid Afridi, Sohail Tanvir, Fawad Alam, Mohammad Hafeez, Yasir Arafat, Mansoor Amjad, Shoaib Akhtar, Umar Gul, Mohammad Ali, Rao Iftikhar, Sohail Khan, Abdur Rauf, Wahab Riaz, Anwar Ali, Mohammad Amir, Kamran Akmal, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Abdul Rehman, Saeed Ajmal.
