Crunch time for Pakistan in final warm-up

Match against England key to finding right balance in team ahead of India clash .

KARACHI:

Pakistan’s warm-up match against England serves as the final opportunity for the men in green to find the right balance going into their World Cup opener against arch-rivals India.

Late replacements – opener Nasir Jamshed and left-arm pacer Rahat Ali – are unlikely to be drafted for the warm-up, even if they are available. The management, however, can still decide upon the majority of the team’s composition and whether either Jamshed or Rahat should be brought in.

Pakistan’s preparations for the premier event have been marred by injuries, while the results have also not been going for them.



The team’s preparatory matches, with one remaining, have all been played in New Zealand. They lost their two-match ODI series 2-0 against the Kiwis, while they were given a tough time in the first warm-up by Bangladesh, and it took an unbeaten 93 from Sohaib Maqsood to steer Pakistan to a three-wicket win.

Next up is their match against England, who pose a big challenge as their bowling attack is dangerous on the pitches of New Zealand, which was evident from the way they bamboozled the West Indies in their sole warm-up match on Monday.

Former cricketer Shoaib Muhammad believes that the match against England could be used to restore their confidence. “Pakistan need to get their confidence back so that they can do well in both New Zealand and Australia,” Shoaib told The Express Tribune. “We were on the verge of losing to Bangladesh, only to be saved by Maqsood’s match-winning knock. If Pakistan can do well against England then the players can be more poised against teams who pose a threat with their bowling attacks.”

Shoaib added that the match against England was a good opportunity for the management to find the right click in their line-up as that would be key going into the match against India. “If we can find the best possible playing eleven, it will make the job of beating India much easier,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 11^th,  2015.

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