Younus Khan appears unlikely to reclaim his position for Pakistan’s World Cup quarter-final against Australia. But a teammate who also thrived in the Test series against Australia late last year, leg-spinner Yasir Shah, is in strong contention to play.
The four-man pace attack of Wahab Riaz, Sohail Khan, Rahat Ali and Ehsan Adil that served Pakistan so well on Sunday against Ireland would have been split had lead paceman Mohammad Irfan been fit to return at Adelaide Oval on Friday.
While the tournament-ending pelvic stress fracture to Irfan ended that possibility, coach Waqar Younis confirmed one of the four could go if selectors plump for Shah, who claimed 13 wickets in the two-Test series in the United Arab Emirates in which they smashed Australia.
“It’s not an easy one. We haven’t decided anything yet,” Waqar said on Wednesday, after the team trained at Adelaide Oval.
“We’re very pleased with the fast bowlers, with the way they’ve bowled in this tournament. It’s very heartening to see the whole bunch is putting together a good show and bowling quite nicely.”
“It’s not decided yet, but Yasir Shah’s issue is being discussed. We’re going to really watch it closely and see what happens in the next day or so, and look at the pitch also, if it’s conducive for the spinners.”
Pakistan’s main pace threat on Friday is expected to be Riaz. Waqar said the left-armer’s success in the tournament – he has 14 wickets at an average of 22.43 – was because he sat comfortably among Mitch Starc, Mitch Johnson and Adam Milne for express pace.
“I believe his action is his strength, and his pace of course – he bowls 150-plus clicks,” he said.
When Pakistan dropped Younus for Sunday’s match, captain Misbah-ul-Haq, also a selector for this tour, said it was partly because replacement Haris Sohail was able to bowl. Waqar reiterated the benefit of the 26-year-old being able to bowl left-arm finger spin.
“Younus is a very experienced cricketer and has done very well for Pakistan, especially in the Test matches. Haris is a youngster. He gives us something that we need, as a sixth bowler.”
The coach also stressed his confidence in the current batting line-up, which in the past two matches has been boosted by the addition of wicketkeeper Sarfraz Ahmed.
“We’re in a situation where we cannot vary too much now. We have to really go out and do the best we can,” he said.
“We haven’t got as many hundreds as the other sides, but the guys are doing their job.”
Playing twice at Adelaide Oval during the tournament has fed the retired fast bowler’s belief of the quality of its pitches, primarily for batting but also for pacemen.
“If you look around Australia, this is probably the best pitch. It’s more conducive to the batters. Teams in the past have scored big 300s,” he said. “It’s good for batting, for sure, but if you’re a good bowler, you put it in the right areas and you push it, the faster bowlers have got a bit out of it.”
Waqar was at the helm when Pakistan beat Australia in the group stage of the 2011 World Cup. With his team having already beaten title contender South Africa this time around, he agreed they were capable of toppling the tournament co-host on Friday.
“We can. We have to be very positive,” he said. “We all know that they’re tough opponents, the Australians, but we have to look at our own strengths, stay positive and make sure we deliver our goals. If we do well, there’s a fair chance we’ll win the game.”
Pakistan have only 14 players to pick from for the match, owing to Irfan’s injury. They have deferred a decision on a replacement player until they know whether they have qualified for the semi-finals.
