Senior fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar [Images] and leg spinner Danish Kaneria were named in Pakistan's preliminary squad for the inaugural Twenty20 World Cup, to be held in South Africa from September 11.

The National selection committee, headed by Salahuddin Ahmed, also retained experienced performers like Mohammad Yousuf [Images], Abdul Razzaq [Images] in the 30-member shortlist.

Salahuddin said the best performers in the country had been picked in the preliminary list for the tournament but, obviously, the final selection strategy would be different.

"That is why the 30 probables are a mixture of experienced and young players," he said.

Sources within the Pakistan Cricket Board indicated that in the final count, seniors like Yousuf and Razzaq might not make the 15-member squad as the feeling is that the Twenty20 World Cup requires younger and more energetic and, at times, unorthodox players.

That is why the selectors have selected some exciting youngsters in the preliminary list including Khurrum Manzoor, Khalid Latif and Naved Latif, who are all hard-hitting players.

Uncapped players had a good chance of making the final squad, Salahuddin added.

The probables: Shoaib Malik [Images] (capt), Shahid Afridi [Images], Younis Khan, Mohammad Yousuf, Yasir Hameed [Images], Fawad Alam, Salman Butt [Images], Imran Nazir [Images], Abdul Razzaq, Kamran Akmal, Shoaib Akhtar, Mohammad Sami [Images], Umar Gul, Rao Iftikhar, Imran Farhat [Images], Khurrum Manzoor, Khalid Latif, Mohammad Hafeez [Images], Misbah-ul-Haq, Naved Latif, Faisal Iqbal [Images], Shahid Yousuf, Yasir Arafat, Sohail Tanveer, Zulqarnain Haider, Mohammad Irshad, Najaf Shah, Danish Kaneria, Abdul Rehman.