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Thursday, November 18, 2010

Waqar for separate T20, ODI, Test teams

Pakistan coach Waqar Younis has suggested that the national cricket team should have separate teams for Twenty20, ODIs and Test matches.
"I think the time has come for us to think on these lines. We must have separate teams for the different formats with specialised players for each format," Waqar told reporters ahead of the second Test against South Africa, which is scheduled to begin from Saturday.
The national coach insisted that all three different formats required a different approach from the coaching staff and the players.
"We have a lot of talent in Pakistan and that is why I believe we should now think about having separate squads with specialists. Obviously some players do qualify for all three formats or two of the formats," the former captain said.
Waqar pointed out that the forthcoming tour of New Zealand will help Pakistan build their combination for the World Cup.
"It is going to be an important tour for us in the sense that we can finalise our combination for the World Cup keeping in mind the conditions we will encounter in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh during the tournament," he stated.
The Pakistan coach admitted that he was hoping to see the national one-day squad perform better and improve their finishing abilities.
"In recent series we have lost some very close matches, which we should have won, due to basic mistakes. So we are working hard on our fielding and the ability to finish off matches," he added.
Waqar said that while there was talent in Pakistan cricket, the youngsters needed to focus more on their game.
Citing the example of Umar Akmal, he said the young batsman was extremely talented but struggled to match his talent with results.
"Umar needs to perform as per his talent, something he has not been able to do in recent series," he said.
Sources said that the Pakistan team management was considering dropping Umar for the second Test and bringing in another youngster, Asad Shafiq.
Waqar said he and his coaching staff were working to remove the technical issues associated with the new generation of players.
"But this process takes time and we need to be patient."

Pakistan team selection: Some consistency needed

 
Pakistan needs to develop a good combination for both One Dayers and Tests keeping in mind the upcoming series against New Zealand and the World Cup 2011.
Given the volatility of Pakistan cricket, it is not possible to know what the exact team would be, but looking at the recent performances of the team against South Africa, one can glean a bit of insight into the probable players for these upcoming assignments.
Opening has traditionally been the weakest suit of Pakistani cricket teams throughout history. Recently though Mohammad Hafeez with his stylish, aggressive style of play, has impressed in both forms of the game in England and the United Arab Emirates. He does seem to give away his wicket cheaply on many occasions, but that is a weakness that can be overcome. Additionally, he is a fine fielder and also gives the team another bowling option, so he should be a definite choice as one of the two openers.
In case Salman Butt remains suspended, which does look likely at this point in time, the two promising youngsters Khalid Latif and Ahmad Shahzad should be given a go, instead of returning to tried and tested players like Imran Farhat and Taufeeq Umar, who have never really impressed in the past.
In the middle order Pakistan does look unexpectedly settled. With Yousuf and Younis a certainty in the middle order in both premier forms of the game, provided they stay fit, the team shall have no problems in that department. In One Day matches, Shahid Afridi will also be a clear-cut choice, and the other middle order spots should go to Umar Akmal and Asad Shafiq, who have both got the ability to play at a quick tempo and are thus suited to the shorter formats of the game.
In test matches, Captain Misbah ul Haq is probably the way to go instead of Asad Shafiq, as long as he stays captain at least. Fawad Alam who it has to be said is not the favourite of many Pakistani fans due to his slow and deliberate style of batting, has got the goods to make it big at this level, and must be persevered with.
Kamran Akmal’s exclusion due to whatever reasons has posed a certain dilemma for Pakistan in the batting department, because the other wicket keepers who are currently available to Pakistan, like Sarfraz Ahmad and Kamran’s younger brother Adnan Akmal, are not impressive with the bat compared to Kamran Akmal. His clearance issues with the ICC and his fitness problems, if solved, should make him an automatic choice.
Pakistan’s bowling too has suffered pretty badly due to the alleged involvement in the spot-fixing issue and subsequent suspension by the International Cricket Council, of Pakistan’s two premier pace bowlers, Mohammad Asif and the prodigious Mohammad Amir.
They certainly were Pakistan’s best options, and remembering the way they had annihilated both Australia and England in recent series, most teams would have hated facing them. Now that they seem to be out of the picture for the foreseeable future, Pakistan must look elsewhere to find leading pacemen.
Wahab Riaz and Umar Gul are available, although both of them perform better with the old ball, if need be they can certainly be utilised as starting bowlers. For backup Pakistan can go to Mohammad Sami and Sohail Tanvir, who even though are far from ideal choices can at least be used as stop-gap options.
Shoaib Akhtar is definitely in no shape to play 5-day games, however he has shown fine bowling form recently and if he does stay fit till the World Cup 2011 it would be a big bonus for Pakistan.
As far as spinners go Pakistan have got two dependable ones in Saeed Ajmal and Abdur Rahman while Shahid Afridi and Mohammad Hafeez can always chip in when required, so there is not much to worry in that department.
Pakistani fans are yearning for some stability in performances after another tumultuous few months in our cricketing circles in which they have witnessed a wealth of controversies, let us hope that that stability can at least be provided in team selection.

PCB committee finally makes contact with Zulqarnain


After remaining elusive for days, the three-member fact-finding committee of PCB has finally made contact with run-away Pakistan wicketkeeper Zulqarnain Haider, who deserted his team midway through an ODI series in in Dubai following death threats from bookies. Sources in the Pakistan Cricket Board said that the committee members had spoken to Zulqarnain on phone from Dubai and had a long conversation with him. "Apparently, Intikhab Alam, who is also manager of the team, was anxious to have a chat with Zulqarnain and made contact with him and then the other members of the committee also spoke to him," one source said.

Incidentally, all the committee members are part of the Pakistan team, which is presently in the UAE to play a series against South Africa. Zulqarnain created a flutter in world cricket when he ran away from the team hotel without informing anyone hours before the fifth and final ODI against South Africa at Dubai and resurfaced in London.
After landing in London, the 24-year-old wicketkeeper has applied for a temporary asylum in UK, claiming that he had got death threats from alleged book after refusing to fix the last two ODIs against South Africa. The fact-finding committee has to submit its report on the whole episode to the PCB after Eid holidays and Intikhab told the media in Dubai that they were preparing it.
Earlier, PCB chairman had also spoken to Zulqarnain on telephone while the wicketkeeper was also called for a meeting by the Pakistan High Commissioner in London.
After talking to both, Zulqarnain had said that they had assured him co-operation and assistance. But apparently some elements in the PCB and national team are not ready to forgive the stumper for his hasty decision of ditching the team and causing embarrassment to Pakistan cricket.
PCB legal advisor Tafazzul Rizvi has gone out of his way to insist that board chairman Ijaz Butt had assured Zulqarnain no co-operation. "A decision on Zulqarnain will come after the PCB chairman returns from China where he has gone on a personal visit," a source in the board added.

Pakistan women's cricket team beats Japan, reaches finals

GUANGZHOU: In the Asian Games, Pakistan’s female cricketers beats Japan by nine wickets, qualifying for the finals.
Japan won the toss and decided to bat first. However, the team only managed 61 runs in 20 overs on the loss of seven wickets. Sana Gulzar of Pakistan took two wickets. Pakistan easily completed it's target on the loss of one wicket. Javeria Wadood made 29 runs, whereas Nida Rashid made 27 runs.
Pakistan will now compete with Bangladesh in the finals tomorrow
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