Wasim Bari says Pakistan will miss Afridi and Akmal in Champions Trophy - Cricket news
Pakistan?s former wicketkeeper/batsman, Wasim Bari, is not entirely satisfied with the national squad for the ICC Champions Trophy 2013 but feels that the Green Shirts are going to be a force in the mega event due to their unpredictable nature.
Pakistan have experimented with their squad for the all important tournament, leaving out Younis Khan, Shahid Afridi and Umar Akmal. All three of them have failed to live up to the expectations in recent past, which allowed the selectors to give exposure to some other players who have been doing well in domestic cricket of late.
In the absence of Afridi and Akmal, Wasim feels that Pakistan will struggle to achieve required run rates of more than eight runs per over. However, he believes that the onus is on Misbah and Shoaib Malik to deliver the goods under trying circumstances, being the two most senior players in the team.
"Shahid Afridi will surely be missed. His experience would certainly have helped Pakistan," the former wicketkeeper added. "Afridi/Razzaq/Umar Akmal will be missed when the rrr reaches 8 runs an over and there is nobody to play big shots. A lot will depend on Misbah and Malik. They are experienced and should lead from the front."
Champions Trophy is going to be played in England next month, with Australia looking to defend their title. Bari is optimistic about Pakistan?s chances in the tournament, although he believes that Misbah-ul-Haq and company lack power-hitting ability in the death overs of an innings.
He expressed, "Team Pakistan has the ability to cause a major upset in the Champions Trophy. Our team is not balanced, but unpredictable. We can beat any team on our day. We lack an anchor player and players who can up the scoring rate in the death overs."
Pakistan won their first One Day International (ODI) of the two-match series against Scotland yesterday by a margin of 96 runs at Edinburgh. Apart from Misbah however, none of the batsmen looked comfortable. The Green Shirts must deliver the goods consistently with the bat, in order to have any chance in the Champions Trophy.
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