http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Shahid-Afridi-c2482 hints at playing an extra spinner in the ICC World Cup 2011
Flamboyant Pakistan captain Shahid Khan Afridi hinted on Monday that the side might play an ‘extra spinner’ during the ICC World Cup 2011.
Afridi, while talking to media in Dhaka, said that the conditions in the Subcontinent were quite different from those the team experienced in New Zealand during the six-week long tour of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/New-Zealand-c754.
"The playing conditions here would be quite different to what we encountered during our tour of New Zealand," said the 30-year-old. "Here we can explore the idea of playing an extra specialist spinner," hinted the Pakistan skipper.
The limited overs captain of Pakistan, who himself is a leg-spinner, said that he has several spin options in the 15-man World Cup squad and he is prepared to unleash them on the spin-friendly pitches of the Subcontinent.
The 15-member World Cup squad of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755 includes two specialist spinners; the 33-year-old Saeed Ajmal and the Sialkot left-arm slow orthodox bowler Abdur Rehman. The captain and opening all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez add variety to the Ajmal-lead
spin attack.
Pakistan will enter the mega cricketing event after a morale-boosting 3-2 one-day series victory against Kiwis earlier this month. Afridi was confident his side would perform brilliantly in the mega event starting this Saturday in the Subcontinent.
"I have complete confidence in my boys because each and everyone of them is a match-winner,” said the confident Pakistan skipper. "They need to click and I'm sure they will do that in the World Cup," he added.
Since the sensational new-ball pair of Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif was banned from all sorts of cricket for at least five years earlier this month, there have been concerns that this might affect the team’s performance in the World
Cup but Afridi turned down the fears and said that the pacers in the current squad have guts to spark in the high-profile tournament.
"I don't think that there is any cause for concern," Afridi said. "Our team is shaping up well and the boys are all highly motivated to give their best in the World Cup," he stressed.
The Men in Green will play two warm-up games in Bangladesh before heading to Sri Lanka to kick-start their World Cup campaign in Pool A against Kenya in Hambantota on the 23th of February. Pakistan play http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Bangladesh-c747 on Tuesday
and England on Friday in their second and last warm-up match.
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