Zaheer sees little chance for http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755 to make World Cup semis
Former Pakistan captain http://www.senore.com/Cricket/South-Africa-c757 as the starting top four teams in the upcoming cricket World Cup and has urged Pakistan team to perform extraordinarily if
they want to make the semi-finals of the mega event being hosted jointly by http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Bangladesh-c747 from February 19, 2011.
"If Pakistan are to make the semi-finals, they will have to play extraordinarily and consistently because I personally believe that India, England, Australia and South Africa are the starting top four teams of the World Cup," he said.
Zaheer said that the string of different controversies that Pakistan cricket team has faced over the past one year, make them underdogs for the World Cup event.
The batting great praised Pakistan’s performance in http://www.senore.com/Cricket/New-Zealand-c754 saying that they have done well to gradually recover from the issues like spot-fixing. He, however, said that it is a bit difficult to expect a lot from the side.
Zaheer said that the recovery process will take time and it is good to see that the new players inducted in the team in place of Salman Butt, Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif are shaping up well.
Zaheer blamed the Pakistan Cricket Board for the recent controversies embroiling country’s game specifically the spot-fixing scandal. “Had the board taken strict action against the match-fixing allegations in the past, the game would not have faced the issues
it is going through these days,” he maintained.
"Because PCB didn't take action on fixing allegations in the past and today we are in a position where we have lost three very good and useful players," said Zaheer.
Zaheer feels PCB has delayed the naming of captain for too long now. The legendary batsman backed Test captain http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Misbah-ul-Haq-c1972 to lead Pakistan team in the mega event.
"I don't think now with the World Cup just weeks away, it would be wise to change the captain and http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Shahid-Afridi-c2482, who is leading the team in the one-day series in New Zealand, should continue as captain for the World Cup.”
Zaheer feels Pakistan’s prospects of performing well in the esteemed World Cup event would brighten if they managed to win the remaining three matches of the six-match one-day series against New Zealand.
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