KARACHI - Batting legend Javed Miandad said Thursday Pakistan could still win next year's World Cup even if star spinner Saeed Ajmal remained suspended due to a chucking ban.
Ajmal, the world's leading one-day bowler, was suspended last week after tests found his action vastly exceeded the permitted 15 degrees of straightening. The ban has dented Pakistan's hopes of adding to its solitary World Cup win when the tournament is held in Australia and New Zealand next February to March.
"We have won the title and that's history so we can win the title again if our players play to their potential," said Miandad, who is regarded as the best batsman Pakistan has produced and played a vital role in their last World Cup triumph 22 years ago in Australia.
He stressed that the team was not all about Ajmal, who is ranked the world's best one day bowler by the International Cricket Council (ICC). "We should not depend on one player," he said of the off-spinner. "Don't think of a player who is not there, and others should fulfill their responsibilities."
Miandad said that it was honour for the country that it had already won the World Cup (WC) in 1992. Quoting people of the country, he said that they celebrated world cup success as Independence in 1947.
He said that Pakistan cricket team should focus and give a good performance in the upcoming world cup keeping 1992 world cup in view. He said that everything in cricket could be won by a good performance and he hoped that this ICC Cricket World Cup trophy would return to Pakistan. “In cricket success could be achieved in combination with bowling batting and fielding”, Miandad said.
He further said that they had cricket board but did not had a proper planning that how to play. Replying to a question on captaincy, he said that before selecting a captain interview be conducted to judge abilities of a captain. Adding that playing a cricket was another thing and captaincy was something else. Adding that a key player meant he had much responsibility than others.
Later, Javed Miandad, Director Cricket Operations (Domestic) Intikhab Alam and Commissioner Karachi Shoaib Ahmed Siddiqui offered fateha at Quaid’s Mausoleum and prayed for the success of Pakistan cricket team and the country’s prosperity.
Meanwhile, the ICC Cricket World Cup trophy’s stopover on Thursday ended in Pakistan with trophy’s unveiling performed by cricket legend Javed Miandad at the mausoleum of Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah, the father of the nation.
ICC representative Sami-ul-Hassan said that now the trophy would return to Dubai and then its next visit will be to South Africa (SA) as a part of its global tour. Pakistan is the 10th stopover of the trophy since its journey began on 3 July.
According to the ICC website, the trophy has so far visited Sri Lanka, India, Bangladesh, England, Wales, Scotland, Papua New Guinea, Ireland and Afghanistan while South Africa is its next destination. The trophy will also visit Zimbabwe, UAE and the West Indies. The ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 trophy made its first public appearance in Pakistan on Wednesday at the iconic Minar-e-Pakistan in Lahore.