Strict vigilance during World Cup a must: Jalal

KARACHI: The management of Pakistan’s World Cup squad would have to be vigilant as regards the fitness of the players, former Test cricketer Jalaluddin told ‘The News’ on Friday.
He said that Pakistan would have a long stay in New Zealand and Australia, so the management must keenly watch players’ fitness.
Pakistan already have little options in case of bowlers as Junaid Khan has developed an injury, he said.
“Hafeez’s bowling action is yet to be proved legal and Irfan’s fitness is always uncertain,” said the former fast bowler, who claimed the first hat-trick in ODI cricket.
Sources said that the team had left, but some people were still lobbying to get their favourites inducted in the team somehow.
They said a particular group was constantly targeting Misbah-ul-Haq by questioning his form and fitness although he had equaled the decades-old record of Viv Richards of the fastest Test century.
“If the environment of the dressing room is not friendly or there is no discipline, how can Pakistan play fighting cricket?” said a former player.
“There is something terribly wrong if a lobby wants to get the captain changed at this stage when everything should have been finalised,” he added.
Former first-class cricketers said the PCB chairman Shaharyar Khan must expose the lobby that was against Misbah.
Jalal said that there was no need of pressing the panic button and that the players and management should remain calm and focused. “Whatever has happened is the result of poor planning. But now is the time only to focus on the World Cup, forgetting everything else,” he said.
“It is our culture that lobbying continues till the last moment. The team should not bother about these things and prepare for the tough encounters as it is weak in some areas,” he said.
It would be terrible for Pakistan if either Irfan or Junaid was unable to play at any stage during the World Cup, said former players.
Jalal said that two ODIs against New Zeeland were very important and would fine tune the team’s preparation.