Pakistan cannot be written off in the World Cup - http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Wasim-Akram-c96292
Former http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755 left-arm king of reverse swing, Wasim Akram, has suggested that it would not be a bright idea to write off Pakistan’s chances in the 2011 World Cup, which is set to begin from the 19th of this month.
The mega event will be jointly hosted by India, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Bangladesh-c747.
Akram while talking to newsmen in http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Mumbai-c820 reiterated that Pakistan could turn out to be a stiff opposition once the World Cup gets underway. He also stressed the need for naming the captain of the team.
“Pakistan can be a dangerous team. No one (can) altogether write off Pakistan's chances in the World Cup. They have the capability to do well, but, first and foremost, the captain has to be named. Even http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Shahid-Afridi-c2482 must be under pressure.
The sooner the captain is named, the better for the team".
Akram praised Pakistan’s performance in the ongoing ODI series in http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Green-c60723 came back in the series after losing the first fixture. Pakistan has always been unpredictable and there is no reason to think they can’t win the upcoming global
event.
The former Pakistan captain has been a staunch supporter of Afridi -the current ODI skipper- and feels that he should be retained as the captain of the national team for the World Cup.
“Afridi has been the captain for a reasonable period of time. The World Cup is too close to change a captain. They have come back well in New Zealand, winning two matches after two defeats. It shows that Afridi has the skill. Last year he was the highest
wicket-taker and also one of the top run-getters for Pakistan. In my opinion, Afridi should be named Pakistan's captain", he said.
Last month the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) put the status of Afridi as the skipper of the national team at stake when a 15-member squad for the World Cup was announced without naming the skipper.
This generated a debate in Pakistan as to who would replace Afridi. According to different reports in the media, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Misbah-ul-Haq-c1972, was being favoured by the PCB for captain.
Veterans like Akram and Moin http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Khan-c71319, favouring Afridi, have advised the Board not to disturb the setup of the national team before the World Cup.
Talking about the prospects of the host team in the World Cup, Akram reiterated that http://www.senore.com/Cricket/India-c750 at the moment appear to be a very dominant force and there shouldn’t be any doubt that India are the favourites for the mega event.
Every match in the World Cup is always a pressure game and there is no doubt that the teams in the mega tournament will be feeling enormous pressure.
However, while India will be feeling the heat as hosts, Pakistan will not be marred by home pressure because there aren’t going to be any World Cup matches in Pakistan due to the current law and order situation in the country. This might prove to be a blessing
in disguise for the Cornered Tigers in the cricketing event of the year.
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