Skipper pins hopes on misfiring batters

NAPIER: Imagine AB de Villiers flaying a modest UAE attack at Mclean Park, a venue known for its batting-friendly wicket and short boundaries, writes Khalid Hussain.
Or imagine any of the other power-hitters at this World Cup — Chris Gayle, Glenn Maxwell, Brendon McCullum and the list goes on.
And then imagine the likes of Ahmed Shehzad, Umar Akmal and Shahid Afridi. This list doesn’t sound very exciting, does it?
One of the most important ingredients in a winning ODI unit in today’s cricket is a pinch-hitter with some sort of consistency. Pakistan unfortunately don’t seem to have one in their World Cup squad.
That’s one of the biggest reasons why they have yet to score big in a World Cup where most of the title contenders and even some of the minnows are enjoying one run-fest after another.
Pakistan have struggled with their run-rate in all the three games they have played at the World Cup so far.
But that will have to change in Wednesday’s Pool B game against UAE if Pakistan are to improve their abysmal position in the group.
Can they do it? Is it possible for Pakistan’s low-flying power-hitters like Ahmed Shehzad, Umar Akmal and Shahid Afridi to regain their big-hitting prowess not just today but during the team’s remaining World Cup games?
Misbah-ul-Haq believes they will.
“Like other teams we also have game-changers,” the Pakistan captain said when asked whether his team is lagging behind top-tier sides because it lacks the services of players like de Villiers and McCullum.
“When you don’t perform it seems that you have nobody in your team who can hit. I know we don’t have players who can single-handedly change the game but collectively we can do it. As a team we are definitely capable. Ahmed shehzad can do it just like he did by hitting centuries against South Africa and New Zealand. Umar Akmal has played some really good innings. Sohaib Maqsood is in form. They haven’mt made a name in international cricket which is why people don’t rate the highly but I believe they are all very good cricketers.”
Shahid Afridi, Pakistan’s most popular pinch-hitter, hasn’t made his presence felt yet but Misbah is of the view that it’s just a matter of time.
“People think that Shahid Afridi is not in form just because he hasn’t scored many runs in the last few games. But I believe that he is in good form and middling the ball really. Players like Afridi can give a good performance an time,” he said.