ICC World Cup 2011: Mushtaq Ahmed urges Pakistan to unite
Former leg-spinner of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755 Mushtaq Ahmed has urged Pakistan cricket team to unite ahead of February’s ICC World Cup 2011.
Mushtaq has expressed amazement over the unresolved captaincy issue with just three weeks to go before the mega event gets underway in the subcontinent.
“It’s very important to be united,” said Ahmed while talking to a Pakistani newspaper. “It’s strange that the captaincy issue remains unresolved just weeks before the tournament.”
Ahmed, currently the spin bowling coach of England cricket team, has insisted the players and the management to avoid all controversies ahead of the mega cricketing event. The 44-year-old googly specialist feels delay in naming captain for the World Cup
campaign is affecting team’s prospects in the quadrennial tournament.
“Identifying the captain is key in the preparation for the World Cup because the coach and team must know who will lead them. I think the delay in announcing the captain is damaging the team’s prospects,” said Mushtaq Ahmed.
Pakistan cricket has been exposed to various controversies since their 2009-10 tour of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Australia-c746. The leg-spin great of Pakistan fears the latest captaincy controversy would damage the morale and confidence of the team.
“The coach and captain should have had ample time to plan and execute a winning strategy before the tournament,” said Mushtaq. “It’s disappointing. I’m afraid this will damage the morale and confidence of the team,” he added.
Mushtaq Ahmed, who played a key role in Pakistan’s triumphant World Cup campaign in 1992, said that the team is already under pressure of performing well in the mega cricketing event and the captaincy controversy would further affect the team adversely.
He said that results mainly depend on team spirit in any tournament and the atmosphere of dressing room plays a key role in the team performance. He urged the players to gel together if they want to perform well in the World Cup.
The Pakistan Cricket Board announced its final 15-man squad for the ICC World Cup 2011 without naming a captain. The two major contenders are the limited overs captain Shahid Khan Afridi and the Test captain of Pakistan http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Misbah-ul-Haq-c1972.
Mushtaq feels Afridi is the best choice to lead the side in the mega event.
He said, “I think Afridi should be given the captaincy since he has been leading the limited-overs side for quite some time. Experience gives the advantage to Afridi.”
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