Pakistan’s one-day captain Misbah-ul-Haq and Twenty20 skipper Mohammad Hafeez believe the pace bowlers picked for the much-anticipated series in India have the ability to rattle the host’s strong batting line-up.
“I believe the pacers selected have the potential to upset the Indians in their own backyard,” Hafeez said.
He said tall left-arm pacer Mohammad Irfan would be the “surprise package” in the Twenty20 series.
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“For the pace bowlers, it is a great opportunity to shine and establish themselves in the team because a series against India is always followed very closely by everyone,” Misbah said.
Hafeez will lead Pakistan in the two T20 matches, while Misbah will captain the one-day squad.
The two squads feature several pace bowlers including Umar Gul, Junaid Khan, Wahab Riaz, Mohammad Irfan, Anwar Ali, Asad Ali and Sohail Tanvir.
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Four of the bowlers are left-arm pacers.
“I am very confident that we have the team to beat India and win both the series,” Hafeez stated.
Misbah conceded that matches against India were always high-pressure games for players from both sides.
“But, being professional players we are supposed to live and adjust to this unique pressure and I will be telling all the players to just play positively on the tour,” Misbah added.
Asked about the omission of experienced all-rounder Abdul Razzaq from both squads and that of flamboyant all-rounder Shahid Afridi from the ODI squad, Misbah said both had served Pakistan cricket well.
“But people must remember that any decision related to dropping a senior player is not just because of the captain such decisions are taken collectively.” Misbah said.
Hafeez also insisted there was no conspiracy behind the axing of Razzaq. “There is no doubt about Razzaq’s ability and his performances, but the squads were selected keeping in mind the conditions in India,” he explained.