Press Trust Of India
Karachi, Jan 2: Pakistan’s spin bowling coach, Mushtaq Ahmed believes that spinners will have a key role to play in the forthcoming World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
Mushtaq, himself, a former Test leg spinner, said Friday that despite the fact that pacemen usually dominated on the pitches in Australia and New Zealand he felt spinners would play a key role.
“With the passage of time spinners have become necessary attacking and containing options in every country in the 50-overs format. The reason for this is primarily because the
behavior of pitches nowadays in ODIs is more or less standard with a few exceptions here and there,” he said.
Mushtaq conceded that the suspensions on bowling by Saeed Ajmal and Muhammad Hafeez would affect Pakistan’s performances in the World Cup to some extent.
“Obviously because Ajmal, Hafeez and Shahid Afridi have carried the brunt of the spin bowling for Pakistan in ODIs internationals in recent years so it will make a difference.”
But at the same time, Mushtaq noted that Pakistan was not short on spin talent.
“I think the way Zulfiqar Babar and Yasir Shah responded in the recent Test series against Australia and New Zealand it shows we have talent. Now it is up to the national selectors
to decide what to do for the World Cup,” he added.
While Pakistan has lost Saeed Ajmal for the World Cup as he is yet to completely work out his corrected bowling action they are still hopes that Hafeez might be cleared to bowl before the World Cup as he recently underwent an informal test in Chennai and the report is due in the next 24 hours.
Pakistan will play their first World Cup game against archrivals India February 15. Mustaq said that any match against India was always one full of expectations for both nations and hard fought.
“It is our opening game of the World Cup against India and if we do well it will serve us well in the rest of the tournament,” he said.
