Afridi focussing on the future

Pakistan limited-overs captain Shahid Afridi has said he hopes his side can put the troubles of the recent England tour behind them as they begin their build-up to next year's World Cup.

Pakistan lost both the Test and one-day series to England, and three of their players - former captain Salman Butt and fast-bowlers Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir - were suspended by the ICC following their alleged involvement in 'spot-fixing' during the last Test at Lord's.

They now head out to UAE to meet South Africa for two charity Twenty20 games before a five-match ODI series which starts in November. A two-match Test series follows before the team sets off for New Zealand. Afridi feels his side has the talent to win the limited-overs series and hopes the upcoming World Cup can galvanize a side that has been beset by off-field troubles.

"It's all about confidence. We can improve our World Cup chances by boosting our confidence and should do that by winning matches against South Africa and later against New Zealand," he said. "We have to forget what happened during the tour of England. What the team desperately needs is some good results and I'm sure that if we play to our potential we can do that against South Africa."

Shorn of the services of the suspended players, Afridi refused to condemn the trio and insisted that his spinners could prove to be Pakistan's biggest weapon. "We are going to miss the three because they are our key players," he said.

"But we can't just sit back and cry over it. We have to focus on the upcoming assignments and thankfully, we still have several match-winners in our side. Spinners will certainly be playing the major role in UAE, the wickets there should give them a lot of assistance."

Shahzaib and Riaz added to Pakistan squads

Shahzaib Hasan the 20-year-old Karachi Dolphins opening batsman, and fast bower Wahab Riaz have been added to Pakistan's one-day and Twenty20 squads for the series against South Africa which starts October 26. The inclusions come after the pair's outstanding performance in last week's domestic Twenty20 competition, and swelled the size of Pakistan's limited-overs squads to an unusually large 17.

There have already been several controversies over the team selection for the South Africa tour. When the squad was initially announced earlier this month, no captain was named, and a day later Misbah-ul-Haq was surprisingly put in charge of the Test side. Then, coach Waqar Younis and limited-overs captain Shahid Afridi complained that the selection panel had not consulted them before picking the side.

Chief selector Mohsin Khan said the pair was included on the back of their performances in last week's Faysal Bank domestic Twenty20 competition. "Both Hasan and Riaz were outstanding in the Twenty20 national event so we recommended their names, which were approved by Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Ijaz Butt," Mohsin said.

Riaz, a 25-year-old who plays for Lahore Lions, was already in the Test squad, having impressed during the series against England, with a five-wicket haul on debut at The Oval. He was the best bowler in the domestic T20 event, helping Lahore to the title with his ten wickets at an average of 7.70 and a miserly economy-rate of 4.12. He was in the Twenty20 side against England as well, but hasn't played ODIs since June 2008.

Shahzaib also had a superb Faysal Bank T-20, topping the run charts with 281 in four matches, including a hundred and two half-centuries, at a strike-rate of 169.27 to steer Karachi to the finals. He first came into the spotlight during Pakistan's successful World Twenty20 campaign in 2009 but has struggled to cement his place.

Pakistan are currently having a week-long training camp at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore and are scheduled to leave for the UAE on October 24.