ajaagarkarajaaja
Banned
Pak have too many all-rounders
IMRAN KHAN
[ WEDNESDAY, MARCH 10, 2004 12:46:47 AM ]
If I had to pick a favourite for the One-day series between India and Pakistan , I would pick the former. Batsmen win One-day matches and India 's batting at this moment is far stronger than Pakistan 's. Looking at the Pakistan team chosen for the One-dayers, the weak link is clearly the batting.
There are some players with potential like Imran Farhat and Yasir Hameed, but this line-up is clearly short on experience and this might be crucial because you need experience behind you to handle the pressure of an India-Pakistan series.
I am also worried that there is one all-rounder too many in the squad. I'm a great believer in specialists, and have always felt that a team does not need more than one all-rounder. Moreover, my definition of an all-rounder is a player who commands his place because of his calibre in one department, and the-se players are yet to do that.
Our trump card is certainly our bowling and the Shoaib-Sami-Shabbir trio makes for a pretty potent and well-rounded pace attack. There is also Abdur Razzaq, so I think we have a high-calibre attack. My only worry is injury, since all the fast bowlers have an unhappy knack of breaking down mid-series, thanks largely to the workload that modern cricket calendars place on them. However, the selectors have got a couple of reserves as well to cover for injuries.
As far as the batting goes, the Indians are pretty formidable, particularly after acquitting themselves so well in Australia . The only preparation the Indian batsmen need to make is mental. Pressure is going to be pretty intense right through the series, and their fans must be hoping that they don't crumble at crucial times like they did during the Tri-series in Australia
IMRAN KHAN
[ WEDNESDAY, MARCH 10, 2004 12:46:47 AM ]
If I had to pick a favourite for the One-day series between India and Pakistan , I would pick the former. Batsmen win One-day matches and India 's batting at this moment is far stronger than Pakistan 's. Looking at the Pakistan team chosen for the One-dayers, the weak link is clearly the batting.
There are some players with potential like Imran Farhat and Yasir Hameed, but this line-up is clearly short on experience and this might be crucial because you need experience behind you to handle the pressure of an India-Pakistan series.
I am also worried that there is one all-rounder too many in the squad. I'm a great believer in specialists, and have always felt that a team does not need more than one all-rounder. Moreover, my definition of an all-rounder is a player who commands his place because of his calibre in one department, and the-se players are yet to do that.
Our trump card is certainly our bowling and the Shoaib-Sami-Shabbir trio makes for a pretty potent and well-rounded pace attack. There is also Abdur Razzaq, so I think we have a high-calibre attack. My only worry is injury, since all the fast bowlers have an unhappy knack of breaking down mid-series, thanks largely to the workload that modern cricket calendars place on them. However, the selectors have got a couple of reserves as well to cover for injuries.
As far as the batting goes, the Indians are pretty formidable, particularly after acquitting themselves so well in Australia . The only preparation the Indian batsmen need to make is mental. Pressure is going to be pretty intense right through the series, and their fans must be hoping that they don't crumble at crucial times like they did during the Tri-series in Australia