Younis, Gul return to Pak Test squad against WI

Former captain Younis Khan and fast bowler Umar Gul have returned to the Pakistan cricket squad for the two-match Test series against the West Indies, starting next week.

Senior batsman Misbah-ul-Haq, who has shown terrific form in the ongoing one-day series in the Caribbean, has been retained as captain for the series.

Chief selector Mohsin Khan announced the 15-member squad after a meeting of the selection committee, in which performance of the players in the ongoing one-day series against the West Indies was also discussed.

In an unexpected decision, the selectors retained wicketkeeper Mohammad Salman, although Adnan Akmal, the younger brother of Kamran, was expected to be called up for the series.

Salman was sent to the West Indies for the ODI series as a rookie player but impressed the selectors after his debut.

"Salman has kept very well and shown good temperament so we wanted him to carry on in the Tests as well to check him out properly," Mohsin said.

He said the recall of Younis and Gul was no big surprise.

"Younis has been one of our top players in Test matches and he is still required for the longer version of the game. He has also been training for the last few weeks for the two Tests," Mohsin said.

The chief selector also noted that Umar Gul had himself asked for rest from the one-day series after the World Cup.

"He is now available for selection and keen to play in the Tests and, given his past performances, he is essential for the Test side," Mohsin said.

Pakistan play the first Test from May 12 at Guyana and the second from May 20 at Basseterre, St Kitts.

Pakistan squad: Misbah-ul-Haq (capt), Younis Khan, Taufiq Umar, Mohammad Hafeez, Asad Shafiq, Azhar Ali, Mohammad, Salman, Saeed Ajmal, Abdul Rehman, Umar Akmal, Umar Gul, Wahab Riaz, Junaid Khan, Hammad Azam and Tanvir Ahmed.