Date:24/05/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/05/24/stories/2006052408112000.htm

Sport - Cricket

Laxman to lead Asian XI

V.V.S. Laxman — File Photo: K. Murali Kumar

New Delhi: A V.V.S. Laxman-led Asian XI, which includes Gautam Gambhir, Wasim Jaffer and former India player Ajay Jadeja among others, will play two ODIs against Pakistan in Jeddah on Thursday and Friday in a bid to promote cricket in Saudi Arabia.

Asia's squad has five Indian players, four Sri Lankans and four Bangladeshis while the full-strength Pakistan team will be led by Inzamam-ul Haq, according to BBC sport.

The games will be played on an artificial wicket at the Al-Ahli stadium in Jeddah, and expatriate community from the sub-continent are expected to fill in the stands.

The teams:

Asia XI: V.V.S. Laxman (capt.), Gautum Gambhir, Ajay Jadeja, Venkatpathy Raju, Waseem Jaffer (from India), Shahadat Hossain, Shahriar Nafees, Mohammad Rafique, Aftab Ahmed (from Bangladesh), Roshan Mahanama, Romesh Kaluwitharana, Kumar Dharmasena, Dilhara Fernando (from Sri Lanka).

Pakistan: Inzamam-ul-Haq (capt.), Imran Farhat, Salman Butt, Younis Khan, Mohammad Yousuf, Abdul Razzaq, Kamran Akmal, Arshad Khan, Mohammad Sami, Umar Gul, Danish Kaneria. — UNI