LAHORE – The current Pakistan cricket team has had the “worst” possible preparation for the World Cup but is still capable of lifting the trophy if it manages to stay united through the mega event, says the country’s 1992 World Cup winning captain Imran Khan.
“The team had the worst preparation for the World Cup but it is all a matter of some players putting up their hands and performing consistently in the tournament and the team clicking and gelling together after a good start and anything can happen,” Imran said. He said the management and the captain need to be very clear about how they approach the tournament.
“My mind is clear the specialist players can win you matches so play them at the top. The top three or four batsmen should all be specialists and you can’t have ‘pinch hitters’ coming in at the top even on the sub-continental pitches,” the former captain said. Imran believes the responsibility lies primarily with seniors such as Younis Khan and Misbah-ul-Haq as far as batting is concerned.
About Afridi he said: “I don’t consider him a batting all-rounder. To me he is a very energetic captain on the field a very good stock bowler and brilliant fielder. His batting is a bonus. We should not depend on it we should consider his captaincy, bowling and fielding as his main assets,” he explained. He said:””Umar Akmal, Kamran Akmal, Afridi and even Abdul Razzaq have immense abilities but don’t manage their innings well,” he said.
