Lahore, April 27: Former captain Ramiz Raja said Pakistan is good enough to repeat its last year’s heroics and has the right blend of players to defend its World Twenty20 title in the West Indies this time.
Raja claimed that he had high hopes from Shahid Afridi as a captain of the team and claimed that it would the bowlers who could help Pakistan in its pursuit of title defence.
”Pakistan has very good players for Twenty20 cricket. Afridi is a very good player and he performed very well in last two editions of World Twenty20. He will be a good captain for Pakistan and he can lead from the front. We have good players and our bowling is our strength,” said Raja who flies out to the Caribbean tomorrow for his commentary assignment during World Twenty20.
The World Twenty20 begins from April 30 and Pakistan won the last edition in England. But this year, Pakistan will be without pacer Umar Gul who was the most successful bowler of the team in both the editions of the World Twenty20 as he has been ruled out due to an injury.
”Pakistan will certainly miss the services of Umar Gul as he was the star performer for Pakistan in both the ICC World Twenty20 editions but this is part of the game and anyone can get injured,” he was quoted as saying by ‘The Nation’.
But the former opening batsman said the inclusion of left-arm spinner Abdur Rehman could be a good call by the selectors as the pitches in the Caribbean would suit him.
”If we analyse the pitches and conditions in the West Indies, selection of Rehman is justified because he is a very good spin bowler and he can also bowl well in pressure situations.”
——–Agencies