The crown may be slipping from Australia’s head and England may be winning one-day matches, but some things in cricket remain unchanged. Thus it is that Pakistan are in a state of uncertainty less than a fortnight before they face West Indies in the opening game of the World Cup.

Azhar Mahmood, 32 today, was called into the squad yesterday to replace Abdul Razzaq, the injured all-rounder, while Umar Gul was cleared after a fitness test on his ankle. But there are still doubts over the participation of Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif, the strike bowlers.

Razzaq hurt his knee on the final day of practice at a pretournament camp in Lahore and Azhar, recalled after a two-year gap for the recent tour to South Africa, is a like-for-like replacement. With 142 one-day games and two World Cups behind him, he has plenty of experience.

By declining to take Razzaq in the hope that he will recover for the Super Eights, Pakistan have adopted a contrasting approach to Australia, who will be carrying Andrew Symonds for at least the start of the first phase. Razzaq is a fierce hitter but not quite in the Symonds league.

Shoaib, who returned prematurely from South Africa after injuring a hamstring, and Asif, who has struggled with an elbow problem, have yet to prove their fitness despite being named in the 15-man party. After having drugs bans overturned last December, they also have still to be tested again by the Pakistan Cricket Board.

All 16 of the squads will have arrived in the Caribbean by Friday, with the opening ceremony taking place on Sunday week. England are due to convene tomorrow afternoon before their departure the next morning.

Their success in winning the Commonwealth Bank Series has clearly not impressed some of the Australians to judge from the comments of Mike Hussey, the stand-in captain during the subsequent 3-0 defeat by New Zealand, who has left Michael Vaughan’s team off his list of potential winners.

As well as Australia, Hussey believes that South Africa, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and New Zealand are viable candidates. “The Australian team in general thrives on pressure and so I think the best of the Australian team will come out,” he said.

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