Afridi the key to Pakistan's World Cup success: http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Zaheer-Abbas-c98435
Former Pakistan batsman Zaheer Abbas says that the country's success in the 2011 World Cup will depend on skipper http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Bangladesh-c747, is set to begin on Saturday, 19th February.
Abbas, who had been a staunch critic of Afridi, didn't want him to be retained as the skipper for the World Cup. Instead the former legend favoured middle order batsman http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755 Cricket Board
(PCB) finally decided to retain Afridi.
Speaking to newsmen Abbas said, “He (Afridi) asked for the captaincy and got it. Now the onus is on him to show maturity and, for once, plan innings as per match situation. A captain has to lead from the front, and our batting is inexperienced compared to
most teams."
Abbas reiterated that the wickets in the World Cup are better suited for batsmen and Afridi will need to focus on his batting in order to make sure that his team reaches the final. He pointed out the fact the Pakistan’s batting was not in good shape and
senior players would have to play with some responsibility.
He said that Afridi had never been a technical batsman and always relied on his hitting instincts rather than playing sensibly. He said, “He's a hitter. Some have opined that if he's pushed up the order, with the added responsibility of
captaincy, Afridi would do better. However, I'm averse to this idea. He can't control his natural instincts.
He added, "He has never been able to do that in his career. Moreover, Afridi was a failure with the bat in all his three previous World Cup appearances.”
He insisted that Afridi was still inconsistent with the bat and was unreliable even as a hitter. He preferred all-rounder http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Abdul-Razzaq-c41623 as a better hitter who could perform at crucial junctures in a match. He however, hoped that Afridi would
realise that there was a bigger responsibility on him now that he is leading the national side in cricket’s biggest tournament.
The Pakistani veteran praised openers http://www.senore.com/Cricket/New-Zealand-c754 tour. He reckoned Shehzad would prove his mettle during the World Cup and said that Hafeez would also be impressive
if he retains his form with the bat.
He had words of praise for lower middle order batsman http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Umar-Akmal-c94595. The youngster has been struggling with his form lately but Zaheer believes that the young lad has the capability of returning to his prolific scoring form during the World
Cup.
Pakistan open their World Cup campaign against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Kenya-c752 on 23rd February at the Mahinda Rajapaksha International Cricket Stadium in Sooriyawewa, Sri Lanka.
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