Afridi hopes to make full use of practice games
By Khalid Hussain
KARACHI: Pakistan are hoping to make the most of two warm-up matches in Dhaka starting from Tuesday (today) before kicking off their World Cup campaign with a game against Kenya in Hambontota (Sri Lanka) on February 23.
Shahid Afridi, the Pakistan captain, told ‘The News’ from Dhaka on Monday that he wants all 15 of his players to get a proper work-out in the practice games before the real tournament gets underway for the 1992 champions next week.
“I want all of my 15 players to spend maximum possible time out in the field during the practice games,” said the seasoned allrounder.
“It’s very important for us to fully utilise these two games and get used to low and slow pitches after having played for several weeks in New Zealand where the conditions were pretty different,” added Afridi.
Pakistan spent almost six weeks in New Zealand to play three Twenty20 Internationals, two Tests and six One-day Internationals in the lead up to World Cup 2011 which will be played from February 19-April 2 in Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka.
Pakistan will play all their six Pool A games in Sri Lanka but are currently in Dhaka to take part in two warm-up games against Bangladesh (today) and England on February 18.
Pakistan are yet to see the Mirpur wicket where today’s game will be played but Afridi believes that it will favour spinners. “We can expect some turn here and will select the team accordingly.”
Afridi said that Pakistan would not take anything for granted against Bangladesh. “They are certainly an improved team. They have done really well at home in recent times.”
Afridi saw India coming back to score a stunning 38-run win over Australia in Bangalore due to impressive spells by their spinners on Sunday.
“It was really amazing to see how the spinners won that game for India,” he said.
It is generally believed that spinners will dominate the World Cup but Afridi said that he wants Pakistan to be ready for any kind of pitches.
“You can’t be sure about the sort of pitches that will be made for the World Cup,” he said. “There is a possibility that we will encounter different kind of conditions on different grounds. The important thing is to be fully ready for any team and on any pitch.”
Just days before leaving for Dhaka, Pakistan picked rookie fast bowler Junaid Khan after Sohail Tanvir was ruled unfit for the World Cup.
Afridi said that he has been impressed by the young Junaid after watching him in the nets in Dhaka.
“Junaid seems like a good cricketer. He can bowl well in a good line and could be an asset for the future.”
Bangladesh will go into today’s match after crushing minnows Canada by nine wickets in their first warm-up game.
Squads:
Pakistan: Shahid Afridi (captain), Misbah-ul-Haq (vice-captain), Mohammad Hafeez, Kamran Akmal (wk), Ahmed Shehzad, Asad Shafiq, Younis Khan, Umar Akmal, Abdul Razzaq, Abdur Rehman, Saeed Ajmal, Shoaib Akhtar, Umar Gul, Wahab Riaz, Junaid Khan.
Bangladesh: Shakib Al Hasan (captain), Tamim Iqbal, Abdur Razzak, Imrul Kayes, Junaid Siddique, Mahmudullah, Mohammad Ashraful, Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), Naeem Islam, Nazmul Hossain, Raqibul Hasan, Rubel Hossain, Shafiul Islam, Shahriar Nafees, Suhrawadi Shuvo.
ICC World Cup 2011
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