TORONTO, 4 March 2007 — Pakistan’s two famous cricket stars of yesteryears — Wasim Akram and Mudassar Nazar — have said that they will be very happy if Inzamam’s team qualifies for the semifinals of the World Cup to be played in the Caribbeans this month.
Talking to Arab News on Friday, the former members of the Pakistan cricket team said they saw a ray of hope though they were not fully satisfied with the team’s current approach.
Conceding that the Pakistan team was facing all kinds of pressures as it proceeded to the West Indies for the challenging task, they both agreed “cricket is a game of uncertainty and Pakistanis are not out of the race.”
“The exclusion of front-line bowlers, Shoaib Akhtar and Muhammed Asif, is a serious blow but the Pakistan team may become unbeatable if it gets through the semis,” said Mudassar, a former opening batsman. Mudassar and Wasim, a former Test captain, arrived here Friday evening with Pakistan’s Veterans XI which will play a charity One-Day game against an Indian team comprising former Test stars. The match is being played here this weekend to raise funds for Canada’s Heart and Stroke Foundation.
Wasim, who will captain the Veterans XI, told Arab News on arrival here that Pakistan selected the best World Cup team from the available players. He agreed with a questioner that Pakistan has sent its weakest ever team to the World Cup. “But then the Pakistani selectors were left with limited choice after the two fast bowlers — Shoaib and Asif — were excluded from the team at the last minute. The Pakistani selectors said these bowlers were injured while everyone knew that they were facing a dope-test problem,” Wasim said. Mudassar agreed with Wasim that the absence of Shoaib and Asif has reduced the strength of the Pakistan team.
Answering a question, Mudassar, who was often described as a “cricketer with a golden arm”, opined that Australia and South Africa are the best teams of the World Cup. “ To me, they are joint favorites with Aussies having an edge over the Springboks,” Mudassar said adding: “Another strong team in the run is New Zealand.”
Qadir Puts a Question
Mark on Inzy’s Fitness
Pakistan’s former bowler Abdul Qadir has claimed that there is a question mark against the physical fitness of skipper Inzamam ul-Haq.
The 52-year-old googly maestro is also here to play a charity match this weekend.
Speaking to Arab News on his arrival here, Qadir said: “In my opinion, Inzamam is not 100 percent fit. I will be surprised if he was able to play all the World Cup matches as a fit player,” said Qadir, a veteran of 67 Tests.
He also doubted the fitness of pace bowler Umar Gul, who, he said, has not yet fully overcome his injury problem. Answering a question he said, “the Pakistan team going into the World Cup with numerous problems has little chance of achieving its goal.” “What happened when the Pakistan team toured the West Indies without planning and without strike bowlers’,” he said, adding, “The hard-hitting batsman Shahid Afridi is also out of the first two games because of an ICC ban.”
India Firm Favorite,
Mongia Says
Nayan Ramlal Mongia, a former Indian Test cricketer, has opined that his country’s team is “firm favorite” to win the coming World Cup. “The Indian side is composed of the most experienced players and each one of them is capable of producing a match-winning performance against any side,” he said in an interview on Friday night.
The Baroda-born Mongia, who played 44 Tests and 140 one-dyers as a wicketkeeper-batsman, said experience is certainly a key to success in the World Cup.
“India is a very balanced side. It has the most dependable batsmen and world class bowlers. In short, it’s the best team,” he said. Mongia said the Indian side has attained its peak before it set its feet in the West Indies. Elaborating, he said former captain Saurav Ganguly staged a comeback with tremendous success and Rahul Dravid is at his brilliant best. Asked about Pakistan’s chances he said it will have to struggle hard to stay alive in the competition.
