It is a great pleasure to have you again sharing your thoughts on our team’s performance.
Faraz Ishaq: Pakistan had two wins in row against Zimbabwe and UAE. What do you think about our tam’s performance?
Asif Mujtaba: Pakistan played really well and don’t think about if they were against the weaker oppositions. Pakistan has their moral lifted after winning the two games. It’s usually not a big deal, if you win against a weaker opposition but if you lose against them than people make a huge deal about it.
Kamran Muzaffer: Does Sarfaraz’s exclusion makes any sense at this point?
AM: First of all, we should stop blaming Umar Akmal for his Wicket Keeping. He has been asked to do the job and he is doing it without any hesitation and irrespective of what people think about his Wicket Keeping. With Sarfraz’s inclusion, we will get some runs from him no matter where he plays but then we will have a very good fielder in the ground in terms of Umar Akmal. At this point we have 4 liabilities in the field.
FI: Do you think we could have gone with 4 regular bowlers against UAE and give one more chance to Younis Khan?
AM: No, I would go with 5 bowlers and Haris as sixth bowler to fill-in.
KM: What do you think about our team’s fitness and how we can give rest to our pacers?
AM: It is clear that our team is not as fit as other teams in the tournament. It is really important that the captain should have all his assets to his disposal for all the games in the tournament and the captain should have the liberty to use whoever and whenever.
KM: What should we do if we win the toss against South Africa? This game is in the same ground where New Zealand played Australia.
AM: Definitely Pakistan should bat first after winning the toss but they should also keep the playing conditions in mind before making the decision. If Pakistan puts anything above 200, they can put South Africa under pressure and that is so far the trend in this tournament.
FI: Do we need Yasir Shah against South Africa?
AM: It all depends on the pitch, if it is dry and the Sun is out on the game day, Yasir will be helpful and additionally he is a better fielder. If it is cloudy and overcast then we should stick with 4 fast bowlers.
KM: Are you satisfied with team’s performance in the two games against Zimbabwe and UAE?
AM: Not really. Pakistan’s team needs improvement at all fronts. Pakistan has to work really hard at their weaknesses. We all are hoping them to play better against South Africa
FI: Your playing 11 against South Africa?
- Ahmed Shahzad
- Sarfraz Ahmed
- Haris Sohail
- Misbah Ul Haq
- Sohaib Maqsood
- Umar Akmal
- Shahid Afridi
- Wahab Riaz
- Sohail Khan
- Rahat Ali
- Mohammad Irfan
Thank you for your time and we will get back to you with more thoughts after Pakistan v/s South Africa