Pakistan Thursday sacked eight senior players, including veteran Wasim Akram and fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar, after the team's disastrous World Cup campaign.

The selectors picked a new-look 16-member team under Rashid Latif for the three-nation tri-series against South Africa and Sri Lanka scheduled to be played in Sharjah from April 1 to 10.

However, it remains uncertain if the tournament will go ahead following heightened tension in the Gulf over the US-led strikes on Iraq.

Besides Wasim and Shoaib, other senior players axed are deposed skipper Waqar Younis, Inzamam-ul Haq, Azhar Mehmood, Saeed Anwar, Shahid Afridi and Saqlain Mushtaq.

The 36-year-old Wasim was the first man to break the  500-wicket barrier in one-day cricket, but even his efforts failed to take the team past the first round of the World Cup.

The seven players who were retained from the World Cup  squad were new captain Latif, openers Taufiq Umer and Saleem Elahi, Yousuf Youhana, Younis Khan, Abdul Razzaq and Mohammad Sami.

Former Test captain Javed Miandad returns as coach after the South Africa-based Richard Pybus resigned.

Latif will be Pakistan's seventh captain in the last five years. Miandad will be the 11th coach in the same period.

Pakistan squad for the Sharjah Cup:

Rashid Latif (captain), Yousuf Youhana (vice-captain), Taufeeq Umer, Mohammad Hafeez, Saleem Elahi, Misbah-ul-Haq, Younis Khan, Naved Latif, Faisal Iqbal, Abdul Razzaq, Rana Naveedul Hasan, Shoaib Malik, Mohamamd Sami, Umar Gul, Danish Kaneria, Mohammad Zahid.