Legendary cricketer and former Pakistan captain, Wasim Akram, is delighted to see Yuvraj Singh successfully battling against cancer and making a return at the global arena.

The all-rounder from Punjab was out of international cricket since the series against West Indies last year and also missed the Indian Premier League’s (IPL’s) fifth edition, where he was supposed to lead the Pune Warriors India.

The stylish middle-order batsman returned to the world-stage during the just-finished T20 series against New Zealand , scoring a 26-ball 34, which included a boundary and a couple of massive hits out of the park.

The all-rounder is also an integral part of India’s World T20 plans and will have to perform well with both, bat and ball if the Men in Blue have any chance of regaining the title. Yuvraj has a tendency of delivering the goods on big stages, having received the Player of the Tournament award in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011.

Wasim is jubilant to see the hard-hitting batsman back in the Indian colours but feels that he will have to work extremely hard to get back to his best.

“It was great to see Yuvraj back in the field. I saw his quick-fire 34 off 26 balls against the Kiwis in Chennai. Typically, Yuvraj connected a few lusty blows but his timing has to get sweeter. I am sure everyone’s going to watch him closely in Sri Lanka,” Akram said.

India are currently going through a dilemma regarding the team selection, with their four bowlers not looking at the peak of their game at the moment, especially after their warm-up fixture against Pakistan, where the Men in Blue failed to defend a big total.

Wasim is of the view that Mahendra Singh Dhoni possesses the luxury of batsmen who can role their arm over with the ball.

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

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The former Test captain, Wasim Akram, has come out in support of Umar Gul and thinks that the right-arm fast bowler can still be an asset for Pakistan, if he enhances his ability of adjusting to different formats of the game.

The 28-year-old cricketer was expected to be Pakistan’s spearhead, once Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif were banned from competitive cricket in 2010. The fast bowler from Peshawar however, has been a real disappointment and extremely inconsistent, although the right-armer has won matches for the country on occasions.

Gul has been absolutely brilliant in the shorter formats of the game, especially in T20 cricket, playing a major role in his country’s title triumph in the ICC World T20 2009, which was held in England. His performances in Test cricket however, have been found wanting more often than not.

In the recently concluded tour of Sri Lanka, the fast bowler could only manage one scalp in the two Tests, playing a role in his team’s downfall in the series.

Akram is of the view that the skinny fast bowler still has a bright future in international cricket but urged him to work on the mental aspect of his game and bowl according to the format he is playing in.

“I don’t think Umar Gul is a spent force. He is a quality bowler. His main problem is that he is unable to define a role for himself in the team. He is unable to adjust his bowling according to the different formats of the game,” the former captain expressed.

Wasim Akram shows confidence in Umar Gul!

The former left-arm fast bowler appreciates the cricketer’s performances in T20 cricket but feels that Gul fails to adapt to the five-day format.

“He is bowling the same in Tests and the same in Twenty20 and that is hurting his performance,” Wasim said.

Like most international cricketers, Akram thinks that Test cricket is the pinnacle of the game and a player must prove his ability on the ultimate stage of cricket.

He added, “The bowlers will have to realise that Test cricket is still the ultimate test for any bowler. Unless you are successful in this format you can’t be really be regarded as world class.”

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Wasim Akram, the former Test skipper, is happy with Pakistan’s squad for the ICC World T20 2012 and believes that the senior players can help the country clinch the title for the second time.

Historically, the Green Shirts have done remarkably well in the glamorous tournament, being the only team to have qualified for the semi-finals of all the three events held so far.

The selectors gave chances to a number of young cricketers for the T20 series against Sri Lanka, held last month. However, they have opted for experienced cricketers like Abdul Razzaq, Imran Nazir and Kamran Akmal for the all-important competition, which will be played in Sri Lanka in September/October.

Some of the game’s pundits have slammed the policy of ignoring the younger players like Hammad Azam, Khalid Latif and Haris Sohail, who have been doing well in domestic cricket.

However, Akram, who is amongst the legends of the game, praised the management’s strategy and feels that big players are required for big events. Akram thinks that the trio, which is returning to international cricket after a long time, can turn the tables for Pakistan in the competition.

The former Test captain is of the opinion that the wicketkeeper/batsman, Kamran Akmal, is one of the top batsmen in the shortest format of the game.

The former left-arm fast bowler said, “This is a very good move by coach Dav Whatmore and the PCB. Pakistan are targeting their second title and players like Nazir, Razzaq and Akmal are the right choice over the youngsters. Nazir is very consistent, Razzaq is also doing well in County cricket, and in my view Kamran is the best opener in T20 cricket.”

Some of the Pakistani batsmen have been criticized in the past for their poor strike-rate and Wasim wants a changed approach from the Green Shirts in the forthcoming tournament.

“Pakistan have to change their mind-set in this format of the game. A strike-rate of 90 is good in one-day cricket but for T20 you need a strike-rate of 130-plus,” Akram mentioned.

The Men in Green will gain great practice before the tournament, when they take on Australia for a three-match T20 series in UAE.

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The former Pakistan captain, Wasim Akram, thinks that Shahid Khan Afridi was the best choice to lead Pakistan in the forthcoming ICC World T20 2012, but said that Mohammad Hafeez can also turn out to be a good leader in future.

Boom Boom was replaced by Misbah ul Haq last year as the limited-overs captain, after his differences with the then Chairman of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), Ijaz Butt.

The cricketer from Sargodha took charge of the national team in the T20 format last month, starting his stint by leveling the T20 series in Sri Lanka.

The former Pakistan captain believes that Afridi did a great job in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, helping the Green Shirts reach the semi-final of the tournament and also finishing the tournament with the most number of wickets, along with India’s Zaheer Khan.

Akram expressed that Hafeez is still inexperienced at the ultimate level of the game and thinks that the board should have utilized the all-rounder’s abilities. The legendary cricketer slammed the authorities’ short-sightedness and negliegence of Pakistan’s interests in the sport.

“I think it is too early to name Mohammad Hafeez the captain of the side. You can’t ignore Afridi’s experience,” the former Test captain said. “He also led the team to the semi-finals in the 2011 World Cup against India and should have been given another stint at the top. But that’s Pakistan cricket for you!”

Akram however, believes that Hafeez is a brilliant cricketer, possessing the ability to deliver the goods at the world-stage, both as a player and as a captain.

While talking about Pakistan’s chances in the mega event, the former great said that the Green Shirts have a massive chance to lift the illustrious tournament for the second time, taking into account Pakistan’s depth in both departments of the game.

“Hafeez has the potential to handle pressure, he is a good all-rounder and I believe he can do well as long as he enjoys his game and remains positive. I think Pakistan have a very good chance to win the tournament and bring the Cup home once again,” he thinks.

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