Superstitious bunch: Pakistan cricketers change jersey numbers after consulting spiritual advisers

KARACHI: The country's World Cup team aren't taking any chances when it comes to their performance. Determined to come back with the coveted trophy, some members of the squad have requested for specific shirt numbers after consulting spiritual advisers.

In a bid to change his luck, batsman Umar Akmal on the advice of his Pir has opted for number 3 to replace 96 on his shirt.

According to Express News, Umar fed up with his poor form and has asked for this change.

“Umar will be wearing number 3 on his shirt in the World Cup while newcomer Haris Sohail has opted for 89 instead of 80 which he wore in the recent series against New Zealand,” the report said.

The Pakistan Cricket Board allows players to choose their shirt numbers before every mega event like the World Cup and normally players prefer to stick with the numbers they have been using for a while now.

Shahid Afridi has worn number 10 for many years in his international career.

The report says some players generally choose numbers on the advice of their spiritual advisers to bring them good luck.

The new numbers of some of the new comers are Wahab Riaz 47, Ehsan Adil 91, and Yasir Shah 86.

Captain Misbahul Haq has used the number 22 for a while now while senior batsman, Younis Khan has also stuck to 75 for years now.

Further, the report said Muhammad Hafeez tried extremely hard to get the shirt number used by former Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq (8) before the PCB agreed and allotted him the number.

On Tuesday, the PCB also announced its decision to bar the World Cup squad from engaging into activity on the social networking sites in order to focus completely on the job at hand, according to Press Trust of India.



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Naveed Akram Cheema, the Pakistan team manager, confirmed the news on Tuesday saying that the central contracts restricts the chosen squad from using any social networking site during the New Zealand tour and later the 2015 World Cup.

“I personally feel only people with loads of free time are active on these sites and I don’t think our players will have enough time on hand for other things other than focusing on cricket and doing well in the World Cup,” said Cheema.