Pakistan on track for ICC 2011 World Cup
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/New-Zealand-c754 by a comfortable margin and took an unassailable lead in the series. By winning three matches in a row on foreign soil, Pakistan’s team has shown the resolve and hunger that their supporters have longed to see.
The win would give them the much needed boost before the world cup gets underway on the 19th of February. Furthermore they seemed to have found the right combination of players. The team has been in the news for all the wrong reasons in recent
times.
The spot fixing scandal and the ill timed and unwise decisions of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) have been unsettling for everyone involved.
Pakistan in spite of all the troubles and controversies at home have shown an unwavering character by playing like a truly formidable unit. They have been unaffected by the off field issues and the players have clearly not carried the baggage of rumours
to any of their matches.
The team that has been known to sometimes falter at just the wrong times has taken giant leaps of confidence just before the showpiece event begins.
The 1992 World Cup champions appear to be an extremely talented lot of players that have the firepower and the potential to go a long way in the upcoming mega event.
They have found an almost perfect blend of senior and young players, with the exuberance of youth complementing the mature and sensible act of the veterans extremely well.
Shahid Afridi, Younis Khan, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Misbah-ul-Haq-c1972 and s****.Akhtar, the most experienced and senior members in the team have set an example for the younger ones by performing on a consistent basis.
Misbah in particular has been in the form of his life. The calm and collected manner with which he has approached every match in the current series is reassuring for the entire team. Younis Khan has also played with a lot of sense and maturity ever since
he made his comeback.
The most important aspect of the team would be the way they have gathered around their captain http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Shahid-Afridi-c2482. The players have shown full support for him and looked comfortable under his lead.
The captaincy issue became a major concern after the PCB announced that they still were undecided about whom they wanted as the team’s captain for the World Cup.
Misbah’s name was taken and a lot of players backed him to take over Afridi. The PCB, who for some reason still hasn’t taken a decision, should be able to take cue from this series win by Pakistan.
The young blood in the team has embodied talent, skill and discipline. Mohammad Hafeez, Ahmed Shahzad, Umar Akmal and Wahab Riaz are perhaps the most promising of this generation of players that Pakistan has produced. They have proved that they can be called
upon in difficult situations and trusted to come up with the goods.
The way these youngsters have stepped up and made match winning contributions in the recent series proves how valuable they are to the team.
Pakistan has achieved success without the services of three of its very important players. Salman Butt, Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif, who have had spot fixing charges levelled against them, have been missing in action after they were banned from playing
all forms of the game.
The verdict of the court is expected in the coming days and if it goes in favour of any of these players, Pakistan’s team would have an increased number of experienced players to choose from.
The state of affairs in Pakistan cricket has seldom looked so good. This newly formed team has got the artillery to fire on the big stage. The Pakistan team could make a lot of noise and if it does, then all the other thirteen nations would hear the reverberations.
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