Pakistan’s cricket skipper Sarfraz Ahmed on Thursday said that Pakistan has bi concerns if India refuses to take part in the World Cup match between the two sides.
The arch-rivals are set to meet in Manchester on June 16 butthe blockbuster clash is in doubt with India having said that it will boycottthe match due to diplomatic tensions between the two countries, Pakistan’s Dawnreported on Friay.
“I don’t want to discuss about it,” Sarfraz was quotedsaying in a press conference where he unveiled the ICC World Cup Trophy, whichis on the tour of the country till April 14. “It’s India’s issue and it’s theirheadache. We are concerned with our performance at the World Cup and we willtry to give our best at the World Cup.”
Pakistan’s World Cup squad is due to be announced by nextweek with the team due to depart for England on April 23 where they will playan ODI series against the hosts ahead of the mega event.
“The teams takingpart in the World Cup are all going to be tough and we will try to gear up forthe competition in the England series and the warm-up matches,” Sarfraz said.
He said he wasn’t worried by the form of Pakistan’s middleorder. “We have good middle order batsmen like Babar Azam, Haris Sohail andMohammad Hafeez and I’m not worried. We will pick the best players for theWorld Cup,” he said.
The wicket-keeper also indicated that Mohammad Rizwan couldbe included as a back-up option to him for the World Cup. “He’s been playingwell over the last few months and Rizwan can be taken solely as a batsman basedon his performances,” said Sarfraz.
On the recent ODI series against Australia, where Pakistan were whitewashed 5-0 after resting several key players including him, Sarfraz said it was to try new players. “To fill some slots in the team, newcomers were given a chance in that series,” he said.
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