Pakistan left out late-arriving former captain Mohammad Yousuf and dropped wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal for the second Test against England at Edgbaston starting Friday. The controversial Yousuf, who ended a four-month retirement last month, was summoned from Pakistan in a high-risk move, but he arrived only Thursday afternoon, missed the last practice, and ruled himself out of contention because of tiredness, according to the cricinfo website. Yousuf's condition was always open to question: He received a visa only Wednesday and landed after a 10-hour flight less than 24 hours before the second test starts. Although Yousuf, 36 this month, averages 53 in Tests, he hadn't played any cricket since early March, and bringing him back into the squad risked reopening the bitter wounds exposed in March during an inquiry into the ill-fated tour of Australia, for which Yousuf was blamed for disrupting the team and poor leadership. After receiving an indefinite ban from the national team, he retired. But when Pakistan scored only 80 to lose the first Test at Trent Bridge by 354 runs last weekend, the selectors overlooked Yousuf's divisiveness in the dressing room by gambling on his outstanding record in England. Yousuf averaged 90 on the last tour in 2006. The only middle-order batsman to pay for poor effort at Trent Bridge was Akmal, who was out for a duck in both innings and wasn't sharp behind the stumps. According to cricinfo, the 51-cap Akmal will be replaced by Zulqarnain Haider, who will make his Test debut. The change is likely to satisfy Pakistan captain Salman Butt, who pleaded for more time for his young teammates in the aftermath of the capitulation at Trent Bridge. “Whoever is in the Pakistan side is there because of ability,” he said this week. “They need to be given time to show what they are capable of.” Butt was openly skeptical about the idea of tinkering with the lineup. “Having seen the past results can anybody over here tell me how many wins Pakistan had with the people who were previously playing?” he said. With or without Yousuf, Pakistan risks losing the series 4-0 but Butt did at least seem to be rebuilding team unity. The contrast with England's serene preparations is stark. With every passing Test, England sound increasingly like recent all-conquering Australia sides, as the players talk of “executing gameplans” and backing themselves. There is concern over Kevin Pietersen's form – he hasn't made a century since the tour of the West Indies in March 2009 – while Alastair Cook could also do with some runs. But unless there is an injury, the England starting lineup will almost certainly be unchanged. Graeme Swann, who bowled just two overs in the match, is happy to take a back seat again. “It was nice to have the best view in the house, just sit on the armchair at slip and watch it,” Swann said, joking with reporters. “If I get a couple of wickets, I'll be perfectly happy.”
