Pakistan skipper Misbah-ul-Haq was moved to send a text message to his team-mates on Friday morning, exhorting them to play for the whole of Pakistan in a do-or-die game against Ireland in the teams’ final Group B league game in the ICC Cricket World Cup at the Adelaide Oval on Sunday.
Spin bowling consultant Mushtaq Ahmed, a World Cup winner in 1992, revealed that the Pakistan captain had sent a very important message to all members of the squad. “We are fighting for Pakistan; we must win it for the nation; Let us all give our 100 per cent and leave the result to God,” Misbah is said to have written to his team-mates.
The dapper Mushtaq Ahmed told reporters at the Adelaide Oval on Friday that Head Coach Waqar Younis had always pointed out that if the team did not believe that something could be achieved, then there was no scope to achieve that. “Back in 1992, our skipper Imran Khan had such strong faith,” he said
Mushtaq Ahmed mirrored the quiet confidence in the camp that they will beat Ireland, finish third in Group B behind India and South Africa so that they can assure themselves a place in the quarterfinals and be ready for all-comers. “We are all trying hard to stick to our processes so that the players have the belief that they can go the distance in the World Cup,” he said.
There was no better example of that than in his backing veteran allrounder Shahid Afridi who has had an ordinary competition so far less than 100 runs and just two wickets in five games. “Shahid Afridi has served Pakistan cricket admirably over a number of years. He has always bounced back when he has been under pressure or has not performed as well as he could in a couple of games. I am confident that he will bowl well in this game,” Mushtaq Ahmed said.
“It is our job to lift players, especially when they are down,” he said, referring to Sarfaraz Ahmed’s acknowledgement of his support when he was not being picked. “It is the job of the coaching staff to eliminate any doubts that creep into the minds of the players. It feels good when it is acknowledged but it is our job.”
Mushtaq Ahmed said the team had not decided if they would change the bowling combination to include an extra spinner since India had stifled Ireland with 30 overs of spin in Hamilton the other day. “Yes, the pitch at Adelaide Oval is known to help spinners somewhat but only after three days in a Test match. It does appear that this will be a flat, batting friendly pitch,” he said.
He said that leg-spinner Yasir Shah, sidelined after the opening game against India, could be in the mix. “He had bowled well in that game against India,” he said. “Unfortunately we lost that match. Or else, everyone would have been speaking about how well he bowled in that big match and how he had shown great temperament.”
