Miandad urges team to focus on series

ISLAMABAD: Legendary batsman Javed Miandad on Wednesday urged the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and the Greenshirts to focus on displaying their best show in the series against Sri Lanka this month.

The Sri Lankan team will be touring Pakistan for three ODIs and as many Twenty20s in September and October. Karachi’s National Stadium will host the ODI series beginning from September 27, while the three T20s will be played at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, the first of which will be played on October 5.

According to the reports, Sri Lankan players including T20 skipper Lasith Malinga and former captains Angelo Mathews besides Dinesh Chandimal, Suranga Lakmal, Dimuth Karunaratne, Thisara Perera, Akila Dhananjaya, Dhananjaya de Silva, Kusal Perera and Niroshan Dickwella, have opted out of the tour.

Miandad added that we must not bother about it as to which players will be traveling to Pakistan, instead we should focus on playing our hundred percent in the series.

“If the players have opted out of the tour to play other foreign leagues then the SLC must take notice of the matter, as a player’s first priority should be playing for his own country,” he told APP.

Miandad said that Pakistani players need to be consistent in their performances. “The series against Sri Lanka was a good chance for Pakistan team to win and make a good start at home,” he said.

The legendary batsman said our players need to build up longer innings focusing on 200 runs after a century.

Miandad added that the PCB must focus on improving school level cricket to get a good chunk of players from the grassroots level.

He said the PCB must hire services of former cricket greats at district level to hunt and train the upcoming players.

“I used to teach techniques to Inzamamul Haq and other players when I was attached with the team,” he said.