Pakistan skipper Inzamam-ul Haq will lead a 15-member Asian XI, named on Monday, for the Afro-Asian one-day cricket series to be played in South Africa later this month.

Rahul Dravid [Images] was named vice-captain of the squad, which has four Indians, six Pakistanis, one Bangladeshi and five Sri Lankans.

Sourav Ganguly [Images], a prolific one-day player, is a surprise omission and so is Sri Lankan captain Marvan Atapattu, who has however been included as one of the three standbys alongside Bangladesh's Khalid Mashud and Mashrafe Mortuza.

Interestingly, Shoaib Akhtar [Images] has been picked despite missing from international action since returning midway from the Australian tour in mid-January.

India's master batsman Sachin Tendulkar [Images] was not considered on fitness grounds by the Asian selectors that included Majid Khan (Pakistan), Ravi Shastri (India), Graeme Labrooy (Sri Lanka [Images]) and Mohammed Shafiqul Haque (Bangladesh).

The African Cricket Association is yet to name the squad for the three matches to be played on August 17 (at Centurion) and August 20 and 21 (both at Durban) under lights.

Inzamam welcomed his appointment as skipper of the side.

"It is an honour to lead a team which has Asia's best cricketers. I think the series will be an entertaining one."

Squad: Inzamam-ul Haq (capt), Rahul Dravid, Virender Sehwag [Images], Kumar Sangakarra, Sanath Jayasuriya [Images], Yousuf Youhana, Shahid Afridi [Images], Abdul Razzaq [Images], Muttiah Muralitharan, Chaminda

Vaas, Naved-ul-Hasan, Irfan Pathan [Images], Mohammad Ashraful [Images], Anil Kumble [Images], Shoaib Akhtar.

Reserves: Marvan Atapattu, Mashrafe bin Mortaza, Khaled Mashud.