COLOMBO: Former Pakistan skipper Wasim Akram has thrown his weight behind off-colour Virender Sehwag, saying skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni must trust the India opener’s abilities.

“Sehwag’s position in the batting line-up is a no brainer. Dhoni has to trust Sehwag’s abilities,” Akram said on the eve of India’s World Twenty20 match against Australia.

The former speedster referred to Mike Hussey’s “interesting” statement that a player like Sehwag is “never out of form”.

“Hussey knows what he is saying and he is not far from the truth. If Sehwag is fit, he must open the batting for India. No questions asked.

“India will be playing their first Super 8 match against Australia at the Premadasa Stadium. Given the nature of the wicket Sehwag is an automatic choice.

“The deck is perfect for his style of batting, but that does not mean Sehwag can throw caution to the wind. The longer he stays at the crease, India will profit,” Akram wrote in a website.

Concerns over Zaheer Khan’s bowling are “legitimate” according to Akram, but he left it on the struggling seamer to decide on which format to play in and which to skip.

“There have been legitimate concerns over Zaheer. He is bowling well with the new ball but struggling to contain the runs with the old ball. But no one can negate Zaheer’s experience. He still remains an asset to India.

“We are nobody to decide on his future. He is the best man to choose which format of cricket he must continue to play. My advice to him is that he should sprint more in the last two overs.

“He is only 33 and just needs to get his rhythm back with lot of work in the nets,” he said.

Akram also did not endorse the idea of using Irfan Pathan as a pinch-hitter.

“India can’t afford to experiment at this stage. While I see Irfan Pathan’s role in the team as an all-rounder, using him as a pinch-hitter or an opener is not a great idea because India’s top order has quite a few batsmen who can smack the ball from the very start.

Akram is expecting India to go in with at least two spinners against Australia.

“Harbhajan Singh’s impressive return has given the Indians a selection headache. Piyush Chawla is a tempting choice for the sheer variety he brings to the table with his googly and flippers.

“And there is the in-form offie (R) Ashwin. Therefore, if Dhoni opts for two specialist spinners, I will not be surprised.”

As far as the Super Eights groupings are concerned, Akram said, “Group 2 is surely the group of death. Australia are a top notch side though I believe that their middle-order needs to improve. They always rise to the occasion and that makes them a dangerous side.

“India and Pakistan have showed their might in this format and have really performed well in the league stages. South Africa falter in big games but their excellent fielding can galvanize their performance any time. South Africans have good experience of the conditions.

“Several of them play the IPL. It’s really tough to pick which two teams will make the last four from group 2. But one thing is for sure, the champion team will almost certainly come from this pool.”

Courtesy: TIMES OF INDIA

COLOMBO: Pace spearhead Zaheer Khan quickly needs to regroup his resources and improve his fitness level if India are to fancy their chances of winning the World Cup Twenty20 again, feels former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram.

“Zaheer’s fitness looked suspect. He did not look sharp enough and probably his energy levels were not up to the mark. I know Sri Lankan conditions are extremely demanding, but if Zaheer has to lead India’s attack, he has to be at the peak of his fitness. Dhoni’s selection worries, I would imagine, will be around his senior players like Zaheer, Harbhajan and Irfan Pathan,” Akram said.

Akram said that the loss against Pakistan in the warm-up game has left skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni with the dilemma of whether to go in with five specialist bowlers or opt for the additional batsman, considering that bowling in the death overs has been a worry.

“The match against Pakistan will force MS Dhoni to mull over his first XI. While it’s always a horses-for-courses policy, deciding the playing XI will always be a tough call.

“For a 20-20 game, India have several ‘all-rounders’ and that will enable Dhoni pick four specialist bowlers and seven batsmen. The fact that Sehwag, Raina, Yuvraj and Kohli are decent bowlers is a great bonus for Team India,” he said.

Akram expressed his happiness over the inclusion of Yuvraj Singh in the Indian team.

“It was great to see Yuvraj back in the field. I saw his quickfire 34 off 26 balls against the Kiwis in Chennai. Typically, Yuvraj connected a few lusty blows but his timing has to get sweeter. The fact he is back to international cricket is only due to the Almighty’s blessings and I am sure everyone’s going to watch him closely in Sri Lanka,” he said.

The pace legend picked India and Pakistan as favourites to lift the trophy on the slow familiar tracks of the island nation where they have played a lot of cricket.

- "If Zaheer has to lead India's attack, he has to be at the peak of his fitness," said Wasim Akram.

“It’s too hazardous to pick favourites in a T20 competition. The complexion of matches can change like a chameleon. While India remain strong contenders because of their batting depth, Pakistan’s bowling strength makes them equally strong,” Akram said.

“After India and Pakistan, in my reckoning, two from among England, the West Indies and South Africa will complete the last four. Sri Lanka have little chance with a weak middle-order and over-dependence on Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara. No team has ever won the T20 World Cup as hosts. I think the trend will continue,” he added.

Akram felt that Pakistan’s run-chase and their ability to handle the pressure against a talented Indian side will give Mohammed Hafeez’s team a great deal of confidence going into the championship.

“No matter what the status of the game is, no Indian captain wants to lose a match against Pakistan. Every India versus Pakistan contest is emotionally supercharged and hence the high fives in the Pakistan dug-out on Monday were expected. It was good to see the players in great spirits and the younger ones exchanging pleasantries after the game.”

Akram said that Pakistan have the best attack in the world and singled out Saeed Ajmal and Shahid Afridi as the key men for the Men in Green.

“Saeed Ajmal will be the man to watch out and Shahid Afridi remains the quintessential partnership breaker with wickets at crucial junctures. If Afridi has to play in the Pakistan team, he can only do so as a bowler. His experience in tight situations can be effective and his flatter leg-spins are tough to hit.”

Courtesy: TIMES OF INDIA

NEW DELHI: Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram lauded the Indian selectors’ decision to pick Irfan Pathan for the ongoing tour of Sri Lanka and said the Baroda speedster is the best choice to fill the all-rounder’s slot in the team.

“He only needs a longer run to get his confidence back. I think Pathan is a better choice than any other all-rounder in India. He has improved a lot. I think it’s important for Pathan and India that they need somebody at number seven or eight who can bowl and bat and this guy has got the ability,” Akram told a sports website from London.

Pathan made the cut after Vinay Kumar pulled out of the Lankan series due to shoulder injury. He was dropped from the national side after a not-so-impressive run with the ball in Australia and in the Asia Cup where he ended with only 11 wickets from seven games.

Akram, meanwhile, is itching to see Yuvraj Singh back on the field.

“He is a very strong man, he’s been through a lot and I think he’ll be fine. Once Yuvraj starts playing he might not do well in one or two games, but once he gets his fitness back, he’ll be Yuvraj of the old. I can’t wait to see him,” he said.

Yuvraj, who staged a brave recovery from germ-cell cancer, has been named in a 30-man preliminary squad for the World Twenty20 to be played in Sri Lanka from September 18 to October 7.

The Pakistani pace legend also lauded the national selectors for picking Lakshmipathy Balaji as T20 World Cup probable.

“Balaji is only 30 and I am glad that Indian selectors picked him. He is experienced with the slower bouncers, yorkers, and swings the new ball as well,” he said.

“I think Balaji will be very handy and useful for India. I know him very well as he plays for my team Kolkata Knight Riders. He has clever bowling strategies and a very good mindset,” he added.

The Tamil Nadu pacer last played an international game against Sri Lanka in February 2009.

After a long break, India started their new season with five ODI series against the Lankans at Hambantota.

Akram said the tour has come at a very crucial time and will give India valuable inputs of the conditions ahead of the T20 World Cup.

Courtesy: TIMES OF INDIA

Talking about Wasim Akram and Sourav Chandidas Ganguly has brought back many memories when often watching one of India-Pakistan matches, I would find myself torn between my desire to jump with joy when Wasim Akram bowled Sourav Ganguly out, and my torment at not being able to watch Ganguly drive one of his famous off-side shots anymore.

Both these legends are so alike and unlike at the same time. They both led their respective teams in test and ODI cricket, are naturally talented, have polished their skills through continuous hard work and have a passion of mentoring the youth.

Things which set Wasim Akram and Sourav Ganguly apart are their different areas of expertise. Where Wasim Akram was a star bowler and dubbed as Sultan of Swing, Ganguly has the batting talent that has given him the title of “Next to God on the Off-side”.

Wasim reigned on Pakistani cricket for 19 years through his bold leadership, his unprecedented bowling talent and his down-to-earth personality. Numerous times, his God-gifted bowling talent made the critics sit back and watch in amazement while he threw deliveries that commentators could only call “mysterious “ and “…nothing short of brilliance”.

Wasim was not just a naturally talented bowler; he worked hard at devising new bowling techniques and styles – the initiation of reverse swing is a fine example of it. . His knowledge of line and length, ability to swing and reverse swing the ball and his unmatched talent to keep the batsman in dark about the kind of delivery he was about to throw, contributed greatly towards his success. When it comes to mentoring, and imparting his bowling wisdom, Wasim is unbiased. Therefore, it was possible for Irfan Pathan, Brett Lee, Nathan Brackan, Mitchell Johnson and many other bowlers to learn reverse swing from the King himself.

Ganguly, or more lovingly called, Dada, is still active on field and has played the fourth season of IPL as a member of Pune Warriors India team. Hugely famous for his off-side drives, Ganguly made a name for himself as an equally dangerous opening batsman. His strength is to take maximum advantage of the field restrictions in the early overs of the match, which proved immensely advantageous for Indian side many times. He holds the record of highest successful opening partnerships along with Sachin Tendulkar, with 26 centuries and 44 half centuries.

Ganguly also shown great skills at anticipating the length of the delivery and playing the stroke coming on mid-wicket which often went on to become a huge six. He especially likes attacking left-arm spin bowlers and personally likes his cover-drives the most. But on-side of off-side, the skill of this Maharja has been great and has left many bowlers frustrated many times with his consistent high scores.

Wasim Akram and Sourav Ganguly would remain the subject of discussions, compliments and critiques by experts and fans the world over. This article is just to pay a tribute to these two great legends, on behalf of hundreds of die-hard fans, who just cannot get enough of them!

Written by: Madiha Riaz
For more information: info@wasimakramlive.com