Pakistan team leaves for New Zealand
Pakistan cricket team, lacking five senior players, has left for Auckland today for a 40-day tour of New Zealand. The five seniors who did not board the flight to Auckland last night include the limited-over captain Shahid Khan Afridi, Abdul
Razzaq, Younis Khan, Shoaib Akhtar and Umar Gul.
Afridi along with four other players is in http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Auckland-c766.
Intikhab Alam, the team manager, told the media reporters that there was no disciplinary issue in the side and was confident that the tour will go off well.
"There is complete harmony and no disciplinary issues at all in this team and that is why I am confident that we can do well on the tour," he said.
The team manager further added that the players have been advised to put all off-the-field issues aside and focus on their game as the prestigious quadrennial event is around the corner.
"There is lot happening on the sidelines but our job is to play good cricket and try to beat New Zealand in their own backyard,” said Alam. “They are always a dangerous side at home but their recent crushing defeats to http://www.senore.com/Cricket/India-c750 is something
we can build on," he added.
Intikhab, who was leading the bunch of 10 players and eight officials that left for Auckland on Friday night, said that the team management and selectors are trying to give equal opportunities and exposure to the novices and now it is up
to them to make the best use of these opportunities to cement their places.
The head coach, Waqar Younis, did not talk to the media and rushed into the airport building to avoid questioning from the journalists.
The tour of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755 is scheduled to play three
T20 Internationals, two five-dayers and six One Day Internationals during the seven-week long trip of New Zealand which concludes on 5th of February 2011 – just two weeks before the start of mega cricketing event.
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