Page 27 - Pakistan Link - April 26, 2019

SPORTS APRIL 26, 2019 – PAKISTAN LINK – P27
SPORTS APRIL 26, 2019 - PAKISTAN LINK
We have best combination for World Cup English pitches big test for BD

and England ODIs, say Sarfaraz, Arthur bowlers, warns Walsh

DHAKA: West Indies great and Ban- variations and execution,” he said.
medium-pacer still has the opportu- gladesh bowling coach Court-ney “Everybody studies one another these
nity to regain his past form against Walsh on Monday warned that bowl- days. So they know our strengths and
England (in five ODIs) to get back ing conditions in Britain would make weaknesses. Likewise, we also know
his place in the World Cup. “Amir the upcoming World Cup a tough test theirs.”
has been doing well in the training for the South Asian side. Walsh will be overseeing a Ban-
camp and improving. Our other pac- The 10-team tournament will run gladesh pace bowling unit already
ers Junaid Khan, Shaheen Afridi and from May 30 to July 14 in England grappling with injury problems.
Hasnain and of course Hasan Ali are and Wales. The legendary fast bowler of
also good so we expect them to form “It will be a big challenge,” Walsh yesteryear revealed that three of his
a formidable attack.” told reporters in Dhaka. “There are five charges — Mustafizur Rahman,
Sarfaraz added that the team has going to be some good cricket pitch- Rubel Hossain and Mohammad
a definite advantage since all players es, which are batting-friendly. We Saifuddin — are currently recovering
except Asif Ali, Hasnain and Abid Ali have to be intelligent, and try to exe- from injuries.
have had the experience of playing in cute well. We have to read the condi- “We need to get them back into
English conditions. tions and the surfaces we play. Some bowling, within the right frame of
To a question, Sarfaraz said he places the ball might swing more than mind, and be sharp enough to do a bit
was still hopeful that leg-spinner the others. We have to assess when of bowling in Ireland and be ready for
Shadab Khan would recover from the we get there.” the World Cup,” he said.
LAHORE: Pakistan captain Sarfaraz not look back. Yes we made mis- virus in time to be part of the World Walsh, who played four World Bangladesh, who will open their
Ahmad and head coach Mickey Ar- takes in the past but now we should Cup. Meanwhile, head coach Arthur Cups for the West Indies between campaign against South Africa on
thur are confident that the best play- move ahead and be positive. We have said Pakistan was fully prepared 1987 and 1999, tipped the bowlers June 2 at The Oval, also will play a
ers for the series against England and worked hard in training sessions and World Cup and he has confident in to rely on their variations to be suc- tri-nation tournament in Ireland in-
World Cup have been selected, with- still have ten to twelve days for us to the players’ ability to win it. cessful. volving the hosts and West Indies
out any compromises being made on further polish our skills before play- “We have worked really hard “Most of the pitches will be doc- in May as part of their build-up for
the players’ fitness level, and feel that ing England in the ODIs. over the past couple of years. We are ile and flat. We have to work on our World Cup.
it is good that Pakistan is going as un- ”When asked about the below par as prepared as we can be we have to
derdogs and not as favourites for the form of both Malik and Hafeez and bring all our capabilities to produce Hales takes break for personal reasons
mega event. whether they will find place in the results in our favour,” he said.
Pakistan team is leaving for En- playing XI during the matches, Sar- To a question of calling back LONDON: England limited-overs Those matches will be England’s
gland on early Tuesday morning. faraz said:” Both Hafeez and Shoaib leg-spinner Yasir Shah’s in place of specialist Alex Hales, who was final internationals before they begin
They will begin their tour with the are our key players and since Shoaib Shadab , who has been dropped for named in their provisional squad for their campaign to win their maiden
one-off T20 match at Cardiff on May has declared it as his last World Cup, the series against England due to a vi- the ICC Cricket World Cup, has taken 50-over World Cup during the May
5 followed by the five ODIs against we will try to take benefit from their rus-related illness, Arthur said it was an indefinite break from the game due 30-July 14 tournament on home soil.
England. They will then be compet- experience and I am confident they a good replacement. to personal reasons, his club Notting-
ing in the Cricket World Cup which will perform well.” “Shadab is a wonderful cricketer. hamshire have said.
begins in England and Wales from Asked if the combination of left He is ‘three-dimensional’ player. He “Alex Hales has made himself
May 30. and right-hand openers would be plays a key role for us just outside the unavailable for selection for person-
Addressing a joint press confer- more useful in England rather than power play. However, we have tried al reasons and no timetable has been
ence with head coach Arthur here both left-handers, Sarfaraz said since to cover with another wrist spinner set for his return to action,” Notting-
on Monday, Sarfaraz said: “We have Fakhar Zaman and Imam-ul-Haq Yasir who in the last series against hamshire said in a statement on their
the best combination and we will try were the regular openers, they are Australia did well. website.
our level best to take maximum ad- the first choice despite being left- “He (Yasir) is under no illusion Hales missed Nottingh¬am-
vantage of experienced players like handers. He further said he would that he has to challenge both the out- shire’s 50-over match aga¬inst Lan-
Shoaib Malik and Mohammad Ha- himself try to bat among top five in side and inside edge of the bat,” Ar- cashire on Friday.
feez. “We will Inshallah play much the ODIs. thur added. The head coach declared It is unclear whether the 30-year-
better and beyond our potential in About the match against India Babar Azam as the team’s best bats- old opening batsman, who has played
the World Cup,” vowed Sarfaraz. “It in the mega event, Sarfaraz said it man and expectations are high from 70 One-day Internationals, will be
is good that we are underdogs (for was like any other match because in him. “Babar is a very a talented bats- available for England’s one-dayer
the World Cup), because if there is a the World Cup, all nine matches are man, having the ability to get good against Ireland on May 3 or the five-
favourites tag it can put a lot of bur- equally important for him. “As cap- scores at a good rate.” “”I think these match ODI series and Twenty20 in-
den on the team.” He admitted that tain I consider Pakistan should win are exciting times for Pakistan cricket ternational against Pakistan.
all-rounder Imad Wasim was part of all nine matches and not only against and for the team.
We leave on a journey for which
the team’s combination and, though India, but this time we will try to re- we have worked really hard,” he said, Smith ‘close to full recovery’
he could not pass fitness test, he has peat our performance against India
been given some relaxation to recov- of ICC Champions Trophy (final) to adding that they have “a good team,
er from his knee injury. break the World Cup jinx,” he said. both in talent and attitude”. “The ini- MUMBAI: Former captain Steve “I still have to play quite heavi-
Commenting on the fitness of Commenting on the selection of tial thing is to qualify for the last four Smith has laid to rest concerns about ly strapped, there’s still a few issues
Abid Ali and Muhammad Hasnain, rookie pacer Muhammad Hasnain, and take it from there, so I think we his fitness and form ahead of Austra- with throwing, but I am getting there
Sarfaraz said that since both the play- the skipper said he has been given the have the potential to certainly go all lia’s Cricket World Cup title defence slowly,” he said after the win against
ers are new, they did not have much chance because he can bowl at around the way but before that we have to and said he is two weeks away from Mumbai Indians. “I can’t throw full
idea about the high standard of fitness 150kph plus that could be a key factor play very well,” Arthur added. The completely recovering from the el- tilt yet, but in a couple of weeks, I
tests but later worked hard to clear it. for Pakistan in the World Cup. About theme of Pakistan’s World Cup mis- bow surgery he underwent earlier should be able to throw at full pace,
Sarfaraz further said: “We should Muhammad Amir, Sarfaraz said the sion is “we have, we will.” this year. The 29-year-old scored a which is going to be nice.”
Smith, who has been named in
match-winning unbeaten 59 on Sat-
Shadab ruled out of England Out-of-form urday, hours after being named the Australia’s squad for the May 30-July
captain of the Rajasthan Royals, re-
14 World Cup, has not been his pro-
series due to virus Kuldeep worrying placing Ajinkya Rahane at the helm lific self with the bat and Saturday’s
knock was only his second fifty in
for the remainder of the 2019 edition
Smith underwent the operation
LAHORE: Wrist spinner Shadab man World Cup squad. Changes can sign for India of the Indian Premier League. this year’s IPL.
“I feel like I’m getting better and
Khan has been ruled out of the series be made to the squad until May 31. in January to repair a ligament in his better, the way I’m hitting the ball,”
against England after blood tests re- MUMBAI: Kuldeep Yadav is ex- right elbow while he was serving his he said. “More importantly, my mind
vealed that he is suffering from a vi- pected to lead India’s slow-bowling 12-month international ban for ball is probably getting better and better,
rus. The series against England, com- attack in the World Cup but his poor tampering that ended last month. the decisions I’m making.”
prising a T20I and five ODIs, will be form in the ongoing Indian Premier
played from May 5-19. Details about League (IPL) could become a head- Yasir named for England series
Shadab’s replacement will be an- ache for Virat Kohli’s men with just
nounced in due course, the Pakistan over a month left before the 50-over LAHORE: Pakistan suffered a ma- decided to replace Shadab with Yasir,
Cricket Board (PCB) said on Sunday. tournament. jor blow on Sunday when young the experienced Test leg-spinner who
The PCB said that Shabad has The left-arm wrist-spinner sits all-rounder Shadab Khan was ruled has bagged 23 wickets at 47.39 in an
been advised a month of treatment at seventh in the bowlers’ rankings out of next month’s bilateral lim- in-and-out 24--match OODI career.
and rest. The body plans to set up in One-day Internationals, one spot ited-overs series against England Despite Inzamam being optimis-
appointments with specialists in En- ahead of spin-bowling colleague with a virus and replaced by fellow tic about Shadab recovering in time,
gland to help Shadab recover fully Yuzvendra Chahal. The duo have leg-spinner Yasir Shah. the prospects of the all-rounder miss-
before the World Cup opener. emerged as India’s frontline spin- Chairman of the national selec- ing the World Cup cannot be ruled
Chief Selector Inzamamul Haq ners and named in the 15-man World tion committee Inzamam-ul-Haq, in out either given the available time
expressed hope that Shadab would Cup squad alongside left-arm spinner a brief statement, said: “The blood left for him.
be ready for a comeback before the Ravindra Jadeja. test of Shadab revealed a virus that “While we remain optimistic that
tournament. Bangalore and India captain requires [extensive] treatment and Shadab will recover in time for the
The World Cup 2019 will begin Kohli was at the other end witness- complete rest for four weeks at least. World Cup, the PCB’s priority and
on May 30, and Pakistan’s first match ing Kuldeep’s misery and would At this point in time, Shadab won’t focus at this stage is to provide him
will be against the West Indies on hope his spinner will regain both be playing in the series [comprising the best available medical facilities
May 31 at Trent Bridge. his guile and confidence before of one-off T20 and five ODIs] against no matter in which part of the world.
The selectors have already in- India begin their quest for their England but we are expecting him to Shadab is our asset and we have to
cluded Mohammad Amir and Asif third World Cup title with a match make full recovery before the World look after him as best as we can.”
Ali as additional players to the 15- against South Africa on June 5. Cup starts [on May 30].” Yasir was included in the list of
Inzamam said the selectors have 23 probables.
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