Pakistan's explosive all-rounder Abdul Razzaq was part of the last team to have beaten Australia in the World Cup back in 1999, and come Saturday, the 31-year-old is confident his current teammates are capable of repeating the trick when the two sides meet in their final group A encounter in Colombo.
Abdul Razzaq struck a solid 60 in Pakistan's narrow 10-run win over the Aussies at Headingley nearly 12 years ago and that victory has gained in significance as the world champions have since been on a 34 match unbeaten run in cricket's showpiece.
But talking exclusively to XPRESS, Abdul Razzaq said: "I see no reason why we won't beat Australia. They are not unbeatable. And if we can beat a strong Sri Lankan team in their own home then we can beat anyone, as long as we play the cricket we are capable of playing."
United they win
Though Pakistan are notorious for their unpredictability and internal squabbling, Abdul Razzaq insisted the team are fully united in their quest for World Cup glory. "I think that the unity and togetherness of this team is one of the best I've been involved in," he said. "Every man is there to do a job and knows exactly what needs to be done."
However, one man who has been under pressure for not quite doing his job is wicket-keeper Kamran Akmal who had a particularly poor outing in the huge defeat to New Zealand. But Abdul Razzaq again stressed that the team were fully behind their beleaguered mate.
"Kamran Akmal is an important part of our team, so there was never any question of any of us questioning him," he said. "We all have bad days and we put it down to experience and move on, and that is exactly what Kamran will do."
And like skipper Shahid Afridi, Abdul Razzaq also fancies the idea of an India-Pakistan clash at some point in the knockout stage. "Pakistan versus India is the biggest game in world cricket bar none," he said. "So as a professional cricketer, one thrives on these types of games. So if it materialises, everyone in the team will be ready and will perform to their utmost ability to make sure we win any such clash."
