RACE AGAINST TIME: According to Shaharyar, Hafeez is confident he will clear the official test on his bowling action before the World Cup commences. PHOTO: REUTERS
KARACHI: Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Shaharyar Khan believes that the national team can do well at the 2015 World Cup, given that the players play with unity.
Pakistan are drawn in Group B with India, South Africa, West Indies, Zimbabwe, Ireland and the UAE and will open their campaign against arch-rivals India on February 15.
“If our players fought as a team in the World Cup they will taste success,” said Shaharyar at the National Stadium, Karachi.
“Superstars do make a difference, but what we need is a good unit, with which our success ratio will increase automatically.”
He further added that captain Misbahul Haq is fit according to the board’s medical experts and will lead Pakistan, while senior players such as Shahid Afridi and Younus Khan are there to give him advice if needed, which is why the board did not nominate any vice-captain.
Reflecting on the suspended bowling duo of Muhammad Hafeez and Saeed Ajmal, the PCB chief said that the board will be writing to the International Cricket Council (ICC) for their official testing again.
“Ajmal has told me that he has worked as hard as he can do on his new action and is ready to appear for official testing,” explained Shaharyar, adding that Ajmal had himself decided earlier that he was not ready for official testing before the announcement of the final 15-man squad for the World Cup.
“We’ll write to the ICC and hopefully the test will be done in February. We want his cricketing career to continue after the World Cup as well.
“As far as Hafeez is concerned, we will ask the ICC to call him for reassessment as well before the end of January. Hafeez now understands where he needs to improve to clear his official test after he missed the informal test by one degree.”
Shaharyar also revealed that the ICC has forwarded Muhammad Amir’s documents to their Anti-corruption and Security Unit (ASCU), which will decide whether to give any leniency to the banned fast-bowler or not.
The PCB boss was also questioned about the exclusion of Fawad Alam from the World Cup squad, to which he replied that it was the selectors’ decision and he does not interfere in their matters.
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Unity and Shoaib Malik DO NOT go together
Spot on! And I fear we might not be able to achieve that holy grail of a unity given the fact that Afridi is playing under Misbah.