LAHORE - Chief Selector of Pakistan cricket team Inzamam-ul-Haq Saturday said that 21 players for the England tour were shortlisted on the basis of past and recent performances.

Talking to a TV channel, the Chief Selector said the players are enthusiastically participating in training camp, aiming to snatch the victory against England. He said that young talent has also been given chance to show their skills in the series.

The selected players include M Hafeez, Sami Aslam, Iftikhar Ahmad, Azhar Ali, Khurram Manzoor, Shan Masood, Younus Khan, Misbah-ul-Haq, Asad Shafiq, Akbar-ur-Rehman, Asif Zakir, M Aamir, Rahat Ali, Imran Khan, Sohail Khan, Junaid Khan, Ehsan Adil, Sarfraz Ahmad, M Rizwan, Yasir Shah and Zulfiqar Babar.

Inzamam motivated the players by saying that boys shouldn’t be afraid of defeat as the England tour is not tough. Talking about the injuries of national spinners Sohaib Maqsood and Yasir Shah, Inzamam said that they both suffer minor injuries, however, both would be available for the England series.

There is a need to promote cricket in Pakistan by improving the first class system, he added. "It’s the start, I don’t have a magic wand," Inzamam said. "It will take time, there will be technical things and other problems too which we have to see.” On April 19, Inzamam-ul-Haq took charge as Pakistan’s Chief Selector and vowed to improve the internal system of Pakistan Cricket Board.

He announced that Waseem Haider, Wajahat ullah Wasti and Tauseef Ahmed will serve as selectors along with him.

Inzamam, 46, quit his position as Afghanistan head coach to take up his new role with Pakistan, who won the 50-overs World Cup in 1992 and the T20 version in 2009.

The former right-handed batsman played 378 one-day internationals and 120 Tests for Pakistan and also served as the team’s batting consultant for a brief period in 2012.