http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755 World Cup Squad part-1
Pakistan has finally named their 15 member squad for the World Cup, which is not at all different from the 16 men finalised for the one day series against New Zealand.
Tanvir Ahmed is the only man left out of the 16 announced earlier. More importantly however, a captain has not been named and the reasons behind that are not known right now. But it is in keeping with the tradition of Pakistan Cricket Board
to do something that not many boards would do. Pakistan cricket continues to throw up different stories and controversies that attract attention from the cricketing world, and once again a World Cup squad without a captain has raised many questions.
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Shahid-Afridi-c2482 was retained as captain for the one day series against New Zealand, and by not naming him as the captain, the selectors have shown that they probably do not have enough confidence in the all rounder.
Misbah Ul Haq the test captain was also named in the 15 man squad and he was the vice captain for the one day team for http://www.senore.com/Cricket/New-Zealand-c754 tour. Now it is no surprise that many are assuming that Misbah may be the man handed the captaincy for the World
Cup.
Shahid Afridi has not had the best start to his captaincy; his team has not been able to win anything under him. First tournament under him was the Asia cup where Pakistan did not even make it to the final; it was followed by a one day series
loss against England and later on another ODI series defeat against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/South-Africa-c757 in UAE. Even though the performances of the team in those series were mediocre at times, both of them ended at 3-2 and did go down to the final game. There is a strong feeling
that despite not being named the captain in the first place, Afridi may still be retained.
A big name missing from the squad is of the former test captain Muhammad Yousuf, which was to be expected as the veteran was not included in the 16 for New Zealand series. The days for the right hander in Pakistan team may be numbered even
in test cricket now.
Younis Khan is the most experienced batsman in the team, and a lot would depend on how he carries the innings in the middle overs during the World Cup. The former captain led Pakistan to the T-20 World Cup triumph in 2009, but did not do
himself any favours by retiring from T-20 cricket and then taking his decision back. He was also given an indefinite ban by the PCB after the http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Australia-c746 series, but is now back and under pressure to perform.
Asad Shafiq is one of the most talented young batsmen in Pakistan. He is one player who has managed to make his way in the team in all 3 formats. The right handed batsman from Karachi has good footwork and timing, and if given proper guidance
can turn out to be a long term prospect for Pakistan.
Umar Akmal is one player who has continued to promise much but not been able to deliver on a consistent basis. He has been dropped from both tests against New Zealand which is due to the reckless shots he continues to play while throwing
his wicket away. However there is still no doubt about the raw talent that he possesses, and if he can bring his ‘A’ game to the World Cup the young right hander can prove to be a lethal weapon for Pakistan.
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