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While Shahid Afridi has remained Pakistan's limited-overs captain for over a year but has not been confirmed as Pakistan's skipper for the World Cup. —Photo by AFP
LAHORE: Pakistan on Tuesday left out experienced batsman Mohammad Yousuf from their final 15-man squad for next month’s cricket World Cup hosted by India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. The selectors also surprisingly deferred naming the squad’s captain, raising doubts over whether all-rounder Shahid Afridi will lead the side after Pakistan’s 2-1 defeat in the Twenty20 series against New Zealand last month.
Thirty-six-year-old Yousuf was deemed not fit enough to warrant a place in the squad after he was last month named in the 30-man preliminary team.
His future was thrown into doubt last week after he was omitted from the one-day team due to play a six-match series in New Zealand from January 22.
Yousuf retired in protest over an indefinite ban imposed on him by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) in March following a disastrous tour of Australia in which Pakistan lost all its matches under his leadership.
However, he came out of retirement in July and was sent to England after his ban was revoked, featuring in the last of four Tests and in the one-day matches.
Yousuf also played the last of five one-day matches against South Africa in Pakistan’s neutral venue series in United Arab Emirates in November before he was forced to pull out of the Tests due to a recurring groin injury.
He has so far scored 9,720 runs in 288 one-day matches, including 386 in World Cup matches in 1999, 2003 and 2007.
With Yousuf’s exclusion the squad is largely inexperienced, with only seven players having featured in previous World Cups.
Afridi, Abdul Razzaq and Shoaib Akhtar are the only survivors of Pakistan’s runners-up finish in the 1999 tournament.
Pakistan will be without key players Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamer who were all provisionally suspended by the International Cricket Council (ICC) on charges of spot-fixing during team’s tour to England last year.
A decision on their case is due on February 5 and the PCB last week said they can be included in the team if absolved.
Another player, Kamran Akmal, who was also under suspicion of match-fixing, was included after being reportedly cleared by the ICC, but all-rounder Shoaib Malik and leg-spinner Danish Kaneria failed to get clearance.
Both Malik and Kaneria, part of the 2007 World Cup team, are also reportedly under suspicion of match-fixing.
Pakistan, who won the World Cup title in 1992, are placed in Group A of the 14-team event to be played between February 19 to April 2. They open their campaign against Kenya at Hambantota on February 23.
Squad: Shahid Afridi, Misbah-ul-Haq, Mohammad Hafeez, Kamran Akmal, Younis Khan, Asad Shafiq, Umar Akmal, Abdul Razzaq, Abdur Rehman, Saeed Ajmal, Shoaib Akhtar, Umar Gul, Wahab Riaz, Sohail Tanveer, Ahmed Shahzad
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Comments (71) Closed
Jan 18, 2011 04:50pm
Not a bad side on paper. Quite a few younger players so that should help the fielding.....I wouldn't play Misbah and Kami, though. Get Umar Akmal to keep the wickets!
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Jan 18, 2011 04:59pm
Pakistan will certainly miss Muhammad Yousuf. Our team's chances of reaching even till Quarter finals is grim.....Bad selection by PCB....
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Jan 18, 2011 05:10pm
Overall a balance team has been selected. Misbah should not be in the team.
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Jan 18, 2011 05:15pm
It's so sad to see Amir and Asif not present in that squad list. Ah well, lets hope their trial goes fair and lets hope they are not involved in match fixing.
I am also glad that they did not include Yousuf this time. I mean, he is what 36 on the paper? Who knows what his real age is and we NEED young blood. You can't expect to bet on the same horse to win you races for 20 years.
Here is wishing luck to the Pakistani team. Even if they lose, I hope they put a fight till the end because you can't win every match but you can put up a fight and at least try to win all of them!
I also think that we should involve Wasim Akram. I mean, Waqar was a good bowler but Wasim is the best bowler to grace the world of Cricket... ever! He should spend some time with our boys and give them some valueable tips!
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Jan 18, 2011 05:23pm
i think the team is quite capable enough to give a tough time to any opponent in the world cup if they play to their potential.... Amir will be definitely missed not sure abt yousuf or salman or asif
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Jan 18, 2011 05:25pm
What are these responsible people doing by excluding expreinced players like yousef.This is a major tournament and players like assad shafiq wont keep nerves under pressure and the younger players need senoirs.I think this the worst selection in 50 format game which needs patience and aggression .May be the selectors have done all this so any failure in world cup will mean that the team was unexprienced.Selectors same like leaders of the pakistan.
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Jan 18, 2011 05:28pm
Fully support ICC inquiry only ICC can help Pakistan clean up as we are disillusioned nation with no knowledge of what is right or wrong.
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Jan 18, 2011 05:29pm
Shahid is the only player from Karachi .....
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Jan 18, 2011 05:30pm
Again a big mistake by not announcing a captain. They should give confidence to Afridi. PCB and Mr. Ijaz Butt making blunders.
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Jan 18, 2011 05:44pm
It's not a bad team but I fail to understand the rationale behind the deferment on naming a captain. No where in world cricket does one see a team named without a captain. Putting pressure on Afridi on a series basis to retain his captaincy will only result in him loosing on confidence and will definitely effect his leadership. Honestly, I see this garbage every series since Butt Sahab has taken over the reins of Pakistan Cricket. I feel sorry for Afridi for captaining in such a period and for consistently putting up with someone like Ijaz Butt.
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Jan 18, 2011 05:51pm
Good side, Amir would have been a good choice over Sohail Tanvir. On the bowling front Hafeez and one of Ajmal or Rehman should do a good holding up job. For the bowlers Riaz, Gul and Akhtar have got to make the ball reverse that is going to be cruicial in those conditions. Razzak and Afridi should chip in with a few overs. The real problem is the batting. Both the Akmals should play as kamran has a good record in India. Younis and Misbah should do a stabilizing job, whereas the fireworks can be provided by Afridi and Razzak. Go with the 1999 formula, get a modest total blow the opposition with our bowling. Im optimistic, this team would win the cup
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Jan 18, 2011 05:59pm
Australin and indian board included all injured players,because they know the value of this cup and how much expreince matters in indian sub continent pithces .it is not 20 20 cricket .it is 50 over game .oh selectors what u did .i am getting mad .even not being a pakistani.Pakistani desicion makers are worth to be hated.
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Jan 18, 2011 06:00pm
umair, i guess ur cricketing sense as limited as watching TEN seconds update of sports news. If u had only known that misbah has been the most consistent performer in tests against south africa and newzeland now since his recall. He's averaged 60 in the last 5 tests against SA and NZ with a total of over 400 runs in four tests
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Jan 18, 2011 06:05pm
Well, I would say, again the responsible guys did injustice.
If you do injustice in a dept. or in a company or in a country, it will not gonna survive.
If you do the injustice in slection of players and you think that Allah will help us out, it would never happen.
In pakistan injustice is everywhere.
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Jan 18, 2011 06:08pm
Ali you seems to be crickter of 60s. The cricket in 2010 has gone fast and furious. It demands aggression in thinking, batting and fielding and unfortunately misbah lacks all three. He has played with strike rate of 30 in recent tests.
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Jan 18, 2011 06:09pm
Ok?the team is announced and aamer aint included in the team. If he is cleared and the team already being announced( and amir is excluded), Can he still have a chance to play the wc?
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Jan 18, 2011 06:12pm
Asalam
Nice post.
Brother ,people like you can change pakistan ,cos it is different from all other pakistanis.
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Jan 18, 2011 06:14pm
Shoaib Akhtar! You guys gotta be kidding us. He was a great bowler but he is not fit to bowl anymore. Tanvir Ahmed should have been given the chance. although, we know little about him in the international circuit but I believe he would have been a better choice.
Good luck to us!
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Jan 18, 2011 06:14pm
Nice post brother.same thnking like urs wl change paksitan from bad to good
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Jan 18, 2011 06:15pm
Nepotism is prevalent among team selection...
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Jan 18, 2011 06:26pm
They should announce Afridi as captain, why mr butt is confused???? Otherwise, quiet balanced team, only asad shafiq is the odd one, he is enough young for such a big event. we miss aamir, prayong ALLAh he declared cleared on 5th feb.
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Jan 18, 2011 06:28pm
Alas.Black Sheep Kamran Akmal is in final squad. Best of Luck.
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Jan 18, 2011 06:37pm
Yousf shd be included. The rest is all fine. Misbah can be dropped, though he is in good form. I would send 16 players instead of 15 and add Yousuf to the squad. Even if Amir, Butt and Asif are cleared which they wont be, they shd not be selected for world cup. They shd rest, take time off and return afterwards.
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Jan 18, 2011 06:38pm
i think afridi should have been axed. younis would be the better choice for captaincy. decision to sideline yohana is good.....no more place for mullas please
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Jan 18, 2011 06:43pm
Ali....I think you fail to understand the difference between tests and ODIs. Scoring against SA on flat tracks We can't afford to have Grand-dads in team that slow down the run rate just so that they score 30 odd runs in 70 balls, to get picked for the next game. Last thing we want in the WC is Misbah wasting all the PP overs putting extra pressure on youngr players. Someone as senior as Misbah should know how to pace his innings.
Also, Misbah's fielding is nothing special. I would rather give the likes of Ahmed Shehzad and Asad Shafiq a chance to make their mark on the big stage. If they fail, I wouldn't be dissappointed.
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Jan 18, 2011 06:50pm
dude, take a chill pill, its just sports.
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Jan 18, 2011 06:59pm
Announcing the squad without the captain shows the
unheathly mental ambiguity of the selectors.
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Jan 18, 2011 07:31pm
Pakistan cricket's three prevailent attributes of 1. over confidence, 2. lack of respect towards the oponent's abilities, and 3. complacency when ahead, have been its worst enemy. If each our players go into the field thinking that w/o their 100% effort, the game can be lost, and that they cannot relax or lose concentration for even a single ball, then there is no reason why we should not win the cup. Go Pakistan.
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Jan 18, 2011 07:38pm
I hope Mohammed Amir gets cleared on Feb 5. His inclusion will boost Pakistan's Bowling attack. Thank God they didn't include Yousuf. Its time for him to retire once and for all. The Six one day series can determine, if Misbah should be included in the matches or should take his place in the pavilion.
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Jan 18, 2011 08:16pm
i think they should and could have Muhammad yousaf in the team coz there should be at least one player who can stay on pitch. Most of them new faces and hasting players.
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Jan 18, 2011 08:25pm
i cant understand the deferment in naming the captain
misbah is the obvious option considering his recent form and his decision making as a captain
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Jan 18, 2011 08:27pm
Salaams,
I personally Back this WC Squad, Its the Best possible we have . After all we need to consider the fitness of our players, no doubt Yusuf is Gtreat Player, But Misbah's Recent form make him more vital than Yusif.
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Jan 18, 2011 08:41pm
i fail to understand the logic behind deferment of naming of captain...the world cup is just days away and it will definitely send wrong signals to the world about discord in PCB
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Jan 18, 2011 09:02pm
If the Amir, Asif and Butt in not here, lets move on and not keep on talking about them. So about Yousaf, he old and not fit enough for the competetion. PCB picked up a balanced side from thr pool of talent availabe. Good luck
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Jan 18, 2011 09:11pm
The experience of Yousuf will be missed particularly in Sub Continent . Yousuf and Younis were main stay of batting and the services of Yousuf will be badly required
For a Big tournament like WC 2011 , experience counts
Time for PCB to think again
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Jan 18, 2011 09:12pm
Inclusion of Shoaib Akhtar is puzzling. This is not a 20/20 event and we all know that he can not an ODI player anymore. I am not sure if Yousaf was really unfit or else. I think Afridi should be kept as team captain through this event.
I know they have added Sohail Tavneer in the 15 but I dont recall if he had played a match for Pakistan in the last year. I hope he would get some match practice during the next ODIs in NZ.
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Jan 18, 2011 09:14pm
An OK team selection but with some problem, which I think reflects the stupidity of the selectors or maybe some outside pressure.
1) Shoaib Akhtar: i think you should not be too optimistic about him, he is old and too bulky for a fast bowler. Unless he does something really exceptions, I think he will be punished big time on flat wicket. For those who think Shoaib is still the same as 1999, they should watch his last performances.
2) Younis Khan: This is really a shocker. He might be an experienced batsman, but not feasible for ODI. As far as I predict, he will disappoint in WC. Though he is a hard working person, but he is not the right type for ODIs.
3) Kamran Akmal: Please dont give him the keeping task. He sucks at it. If he is playing as a specialist batsman then board should give him the chance in NZ ODI for him to get a good match practice. If he does not perform in WC, feel free to drop him, and give others a chance.
4) Fawad Alam Exclusion: I think he has performed and he was atleast invested on too much. I think he should have been included instead of Mr Younis. If you compare averages of Umer, Fawad and some other players Fawad's average is more. We did not use him where he belong. We should have utilized him at a place where we need singles and doubles.
This is my opinion, and people are bound to agree and disagree.
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Jan 18, 2011 09:17pm
Even considering the fact that he lacks serious match practice? and has not played any ODI for so long?
Don't go for names, be practical and think realistically.
You lack match practice and you are recalled just a month before the mega event. I don't think its a good idea. He if you wanted him to prove, make him play in ODIs against NZ
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Jan 18, 2011 09:19pm
Forgot his performances in the T20 WC? and Bro, Tests are much more different then ODIs. I think Misbah should be there. He can be slower as well as hit boundries
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Jan 18, 2011 09:27pm
I think everyone has his/her own opinion, therefore taking names of the person whose comment you do not like is not a good idea.
We will support our team even if it is not balanced.
It looks a pretty balanced team and this will be proved after the coming 6 one dayers against NZ.
I thought not naming the captain was not such a great thing to do, it just increases apprehension of the players and us, the fans.
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Jan 18, 2011 09:42pm
Does anyone in the board knows what is going on.
Why not make Afridi the captain.Pakistan knows how to mess up things for the team before a big games.
I fell sorry for Afaridi
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Jan 18, 2011 09:46pm
i think team looks good on paper,but with Ijaz butt at the helm of affairs who is already suffering from senile dementia. He should have named Shahid as skipper but he wants to play politics as usual .
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Jan 18, 2011 09:53pm
All rounder Shahid Afridi should not be changed from captaincy because he has ability to lead the team and will do well. Changing of captain at this stage is not favorable.
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Jan 18, 2011 10:15pm
it will be nice if we see Afridi as a captain in Pakistan squad.
we pray are praying for pakistan team Inshallah Pakistan will cup world cup 2011.
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Jan 18, 2011 10:24pm
Also Muhammad yusuf not get the place in..... strange....
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Jan 18, 2011 10:48pm
It was good to see an extra spinner in the side. On paper it looks a balanced side. The only concern is Shoaib Akhtar's fitness and his attitude problem. He is not a team man.
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Jan 18, 2011 10:52pm
Shoaib and Tanvir are possibly at the same fitness level.
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Jan 18, 2011 10:54pm
Captains:
T20 - Afridi
ODI - Younis
Tests - Misbah
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Jan 18, 2011 11:00pm
the team choice with whatever pool of players we have is not bad, except they should omit kamran from the team(period), as for the bowling department all of the bowlers will have to rely on accuracy rather than speed as the subcontinent pitches are neither bouncy nor fast. good luck pakistan cricket team win or loose we are with u as long as u give ur best on the field.
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Jan 18, 2011 11:03pm
I dont know why people are against Misbah so much, this guy has performed on every level for pakistan and i think he deserves his place in the team. if he donst perform well drop him, but currently his performance is outstanding. i mean as a captain the guy is averaging around 70 in the test squad. alot of people have gone around saying things about his strike rate, well that was the need of the hour to keep his strike rate to that. plus also have you forgotten the t20 worldcup in 2007? this guy single handedly got us to the final. now should he have played that shot to get out is debatable but no one can deny he won us a good three or four matches in the series!
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Jan 18, 2011 11:14pm
Shahzaib Hassan should ve been included instead of Assad Shafeeq.
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Jan 18, 2011 11:17pm
Imran Nazir must be included considering slow pitches of subcontinent.
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Jan 19, 2011 12:11am
Misbah strike rate is dismal in one day cricket.He is a good test player but can loose you a match by wasting so many balls in the shorter forward. Kamral should NOT be picked. HE does NOT deserve to keep wickets. They guy is going to drop simple catches again.We simply cannot afford a keeper like Kamran. Razzaq,whilst a good hitter against the faster men, is average against spin bowling and his bowling is now useless.I mean the guy gets hammered against all parts of the ground. The rest of the squad is well deserving i thing. It was a good decision to keep the useless 30 average Shoaib Malik out of the squad.The man has no talent and is an intriguer. I hope that Asif or Amir get exonerated. even though the pitches are slow, Asif wiped out Sri Lanka in Candy in 2006.
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Jan 19, 2011 01:03am
I do not think this is a bad side at all. They are inexperienced but a young team with lots of enthusiasm. We should remember Kenya in 2003 World Cup; the young side went into Semi-Finals. They all were not familiar with the pace attack of Brett Lee and Shoaib, fielding like Ponting and Gibbs and batting like Tendulkar, Ponting and Gilchrist but still they proved to us that “Big Names” does not matter, all it matters at the end is the performance.
ODI's and T20 are totally a different game format. Pakistan team lacks consistency and is very unpredictable but a very nature of this uncertainty makes Pakistani team worth watching.
At the same time, I am against Shoaib Akhtar’s inclusion to the squad. I do not know why PCB still keeping this duffer. The pace has long gone of Shoaib and so does the fear. The lethal pace of Shoaib was his only quality and now since he is not quick anymore, he should take retirement exactly how intelligent Brett Lee called for his retirement. He knew that he was only famous for his pace not for anything else. Shoaib Akhter should take a retirement and keep that fear alive in the hearts of every batsmen rather being disrespected in every occasion.
PCB has taken a good decision excluding Mohd. Yousuf from the team. Please, be like Sachin Tendulkar and proof yourself a deserving candidate for the team or just stay at home and watch youngsters playing for the country.
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Jan 19, 2011 01:17am
Correction --> Brett Lee is planning to take the retirement from the cricket but he has not yet taken it. Shoaib Akhter should take it :)
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Jan 19, 2011 01:39am
As for captaincy, we do not want anybody not having the courage to think out of the box, take example of Imran Khan who use to change the batting order according to the demand. We do not want formula captaincy or formula coaching as always being seen by our captains and coaches, for example Abdul Razzaq was always sent 7 down instead of sending him earlier, resulting majority of the times finding no player on the other end and whenever he had a player on the other end, he won the matches single handedly. In one of the matches Razzaq not only won the match single handedly but also made a century. In one day matches, Misbah is advisable to be added, even the other team announced right now is not bad. We need our players to practice on time, sleep on time, and to boost the confidence in every one of them as Imran Khan use to by showing himself as a best role model for the youngsters.
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Jan 19, 2011 01:50am
The Pakistani team sucks anyways. They will go there and lose against India and come back. That time, Afridi, Aktar and Razzaq should retire.
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Jan 19, 2011 02:26am
As a Pakistani I would wish the team best of luck. The selection is a receipe for disaster. Of the new comers the best is Hafeez and his tops would be 33 runs on a good day. The world cup atmosphere is such that an untested player will find it difficult to perform. They should have included Mohammad Yousuf, Imran Nazeer, Fawad Alam and Shoaib Malik. Fawad had shown great temprement under rough situation, his omission is mind boggling. He is a player of the future, mark my word.
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Jan 19, 2011 02:40am
In my personal opinion, the worst selection is of Shoaib Akhtar and Younus Khan. They are good for nothing in 50 over format and their latest performance shows they are only a burden to the team. I don't know what selectors expect from Shoaib Akhtar as he is not fit enough for 20/20, how will he play a 50 over match? His past performance has never been impressive at any 50 over tournament. He lacks the attitude and sharpness of an intelligent fighter in today's fast paced cricket. Same for Younus, he had never been a dependable ODI player and you never expect more than 30 runs at a good going. We should have tried any junior to get experience of big tournaments so he could have served our country in the long run. What a waste!!
Captain must have been announced, I fail to understand what good this suspense can do for our team?? Whether Afridi performs good or bad in current ODI series against the 3rd class NZ or not, you can't compare it with world cup. Extremely dumb officials of Pakistan cricket!!
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Jan 19, 2011 03:05am
Yes. Misbah has proved time and again that he is not a finisher. He comes close to victory and then busts it. His getting out on 99 is the proof. I would prefer Adnan over Kami. Umar needs time to think about his attitude. Adnan might not be as good a bat as Kami, but a much better wicket keeper. Had the Australian idiots not bungled out, Adnan would have equaled the record 7 catches.
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Jan 19, 2011 06:04am
Well, I believe that the real reason behind PCB not announcing the Captain is because they are waiting to see the result of the second test match that is currently being played in NZ. If Pakistan wins the series or the match itself then they will probably name Misbah as the Captain.
I was very... VERY critical of Misbah's selection as Captain but he has done an absolutely amazing job! So yeah, may be that is the reason they didn't announce the Captain just yet.
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Jan 19, 2011 07:42am
what happend to shoib mallick , sania mirrza has been very unlucky for him
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Jan 19, 2011 07:44am
Don't start this......this is a team from Pakistan and not from one city or Province.
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Jan 19, 2011 08:02am
ship without captain, this would complicate the matters for whoever is named captain in this fashion.
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Jan 19, 2011 09:17am
What a farce!!!!This team without Butt,Aamer,Asif and half fit Akhtar with "chewball" Afridi has no chance against top teams..
We should start preparing for next WC now..
There is so much internal politics in PCB..How much confidence will the "to be announced" captain have and how much say will he have in team matters when there is so much uncertainty!!
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Jan 19, 2011 11:10am
NO YOUSUF.............................NO CRICKET,AND I AM 100% SURE PAKISTAN WILL OUT IN 1st round.
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Jan 19, 2011 11:50am
I think, its a balance side but there are very few chances of Pakistan to reach semi-finals. Reason being: most of the players are new. Not experienced ones.
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Jan 19, 2011 06:48pm
His ability to win the match proves he is not a finisher as a captain as well.
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Jan 20, 2011 06:23pm
I think this is realistic and balanced team, misbah important for ODI as replacement of Inzimam, Pakistan always suffer in retaining of wickets strike rate always not a problem in ODI's for pak for example afridi has 150 strick rate but look at average.
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Jan 21, 2011 08:53am
Bowling lacks one pace bowler...............unfortunately the two to choose from r gone - team does not look bad; I would have thrown in Imran Nazir or Fawad Alam in place of Asad Shafiq.
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Jan 21, 2011 07:12pm
Afridi should be annouced as captain and ijaz butt should resign himself if he has guts.
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