Umar Gul to play Pak A against India

Umar Gul, the Pakistan fast bowler, has been included in the Pakistan A squad for India's first warm-up game of the forthcoming tour of Pakistan on January 7.

Gul is making a comeback after a back injury sidelined him for more than a year. In his last Test, Gul took 5 for 31, a haul that included the cream of the Indian batsmen.

"Gul has been recalled because he has now been playing at the domestic level and appears to have made a complete recovery from his injury", a Pakistan Cricket Board official told Reuters. India will arrive in Pakistan on January 5 and play three Tests and five one-day internationals. The first Test begins on January 13 in Lahore.

Meanwhile, Abdul Razzaq was admitted to hospital Wednesday with high fever and a chest infection but said he hopes to be fit before the India series next month.

Razzaq told AFP, "I have been advised to rest for one week and have undergone tests on a chest infection. The high fever has weakened me. I hope that I will regain fitness before the India series."

Razzaq, a key allrounder for Pakistan, missed Pakistan's three-Test series against England due to an elbow injury, but played in all five matches of the one-day series which ended last week.

Pakistan A
1 Hasan Raza (capt), 2 Imran Farhat, 3 Mohammad Wasim, 4 Faisal Iqbal, 5 Asim Kamal, 6 Bazid Khan, 7 Zulqarnain Haider, 8 Mansoor Amjad, 9 Mohammad Irshad, 10 Umar Gul, 11 Iftikhar Anjum, 12 Yasir Arafat.