Pakistan team lacks patience: Shahid Afridi
Pakistan’s One Day and T20 captain http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Shahid-Afridi-c2482 has claimed that the national team lacks the patience for the longest format of the game and hence were incapable of performing consistently.
Afridi’s comments came in the wake of the disastrous batting performance in the ongoing test series against England in England where the visitors folded to their lowest totals against the hosts in back-to-back innings.
The first occasion was the second innings of the first test at Trent Bridge in Nottingham where the team collapsed for 80 runs, followed by their capitulation for 72 runs in the first innings of the second test at Edgbaston, Birmingham.
After the end of the 4 tests, the two teams will engage in a limited overs series, which includes two T20 matches at Cardiff besides the five match One Day International series.
Afridi feels that youngsters have been given adequate opportunities in the test format and there were some changes on the cards for the limited overs series.
“I think we have seen the players up close after their performances in England and obviously there will be some changes for the one-day series but I feel we have a good combination for limited overs cricket although we are struggling in Test matches,” claimed Afridi.
He added that there was a dearth of quality batsmen in the longest format of the game, but luckily, there was a bigger pool of talent in the ODI and T20 formats for Pakistan.
“We are struggling in England because we don't have too many players with the right temperament for five-day cricket. But in contrast we have talented players for the shorter versions of the sport.”
The right handed all-rounder who smashed two hundreds in his first ODI tournament as captain during the Asia Cup in April feels that the Pakistani nation is going through a lot of problems. The ODI captain is more than determined to give some relief to the flood devastated people of Pakistan.
“We have had so many problems in Pakistan with millions being rendered homeless due to the floods. I just want to contribute in bringing some joy to our people who are facing so many problems right now,” Afridi said.
Afridi, who relinquished test captaincy after losing the opening test of the two match series against Australia at Lords last month claimed that his team was well suited to the shortest formats of the game and cannot be ruled out despite their dismal test performances.
“I am confident we can do that because in one-day and Twenty20 cricket, we have good teams."
Despite Afridi’s confidence in his team, the men in green would need to work immensely hard if they are to topple the World champions in the shortest format of the game, before taking the challenge to them in the fifty overs ODI format.
The English team has had a great run in the ODI format also as they edged out http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Bangladesh-c747 in the recently concluded series.
They have thus far won five out of the eight matches in the ongoing home season and are set to start the series as favourites against a http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755 team struggling to find the perfect mix of youth and experience.
The limited overs series would kick-off in Cardiff with two T20 matches, followed by five ODI’s at http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Durham-c782, Leeds, Lords, Oval and Southampton.
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