LAHORE: Pakistan Tuesday left out experienced batsman Mohammad Yousuf from their final 15-man squad for next month's cricket World Cup to be hosted by India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. The selectors also surprisingly deferred naming the squad's captain, raising doubts over whether all-rounder Shahid Afridi will lead the side after Pakistan's 2-1 defeat in the Twenty20 series against New Zealand last month. Thirty-six-year-old Yousuf was deemed not fit enough to warrant a place in the squad after he was last month named in the 30-man preliminary team. His future was thrown into doubt last week after he was omitted from the one-day team due to play a six-match series in New Zealand from Jan. 22. Yousuf played the last of five one-day matches against South Africa in Pakistan's neutral venue series in UAE in November before he was forced to pull out of the Tests due to a recurring groin injury. He has so far scored 9,720 runs in 288 one-day matches, including 386 in World Cup matches in 1999, 2003 and 2007. With Yousuf's exclusion the squad is largely inexperienced, with only seven players having featured in previous World Cups. Afridi, Abdul Razzaq and Shoaib Akhtar are the only survivors of Pakistan's runners-up finish in the 1999 tournament. Pakistan will be without key players Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir who were all provisionally suspended by the International Cricket Council (ICC) on charges of spot-fixing during team's tour to England last year. A decision on their case is due on Feb. 5 and the PCB last week said they can be included in the team if absolved. Another player, Kamran Akmal, who was also under suspicion of match-fixing, was included after being reportedly cleared by the ICC, but all-rounder Shoaib Malik and leg-spinner Danish Kaneria failed to get clearance. Squad: Shahid Afridi, Misbahul Haq, Mohammad Hafeez, Kamran Akmal, Younus Khan, Asad Shafiq, Umar Akmal, Abdul Razzaq, Abdur Rehman, Saeed Ajmal, Shoaib Akhtar, Umar Gul, Wahab Riaz, Sohail Tanveer, Ahmed Shahzad. Husseys included Mike Hussey was included in the final 15-man Australia squad for the World Cup announced Tuesday despite a hamstring injury, while his brother David has earned a first call-up for cricket's showpiece event. Australia, which has won four of the nine World Cups, including the last three, will use the same squad for the remaining six matches of the ongoing one-day series against England. “(We have) selected a squad we believe is capable of winning a fourth successive World Cup in sub-continental conditions,” chief selector Andrew Hilditch said in a news release. “It includes the experience of Ricky Ponting, Michael Clarke and Brett Lee, and also some young talent like Steve Smith. Squad: Ricky Ponting (captain), Michael Clarke, Doug Bollinger, Brad Haddin, John Hastings, Nathan Hauritz, David Hussey, Mike Hussey, Mitchell Johnson, Brett Lee, Tim Paine, Steve Smith, Shaun Tait, Shane Watson, Cameron White.
