ISLAMABAD, Feb 15: Pakistan cricket squad is too weak to make an impact in the forthcoming the World Cup in the West Indies next month, former Test cricketer Sarfaraz Nawaz said on Thursday.

Expressing his dissatisfaction over the recent performance of the national cricket team, the former fast bowler said Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) should have adopted a pragmatic approach in picking up the squad for the most prestigious cricket event in the world.

“Better planning and selecting in-form players from domestic cricket would have given Pakistan a strong team which could give tough time to the opponents in the World Cup,” he said.

Sarfaraz said PCB should have arranged training camps across the country to find players of substance for the mega event. “Removing Waqar Younis was a blunder and he should have been given the responsibility to train the bowlers in the training camps,” he said.

Sarfraz named talented batsmen Asim Kamal and Misbahul Haq as ideal middle-order batsmen for Pakistan while Salman Butt, he said, should have been selected as opener. “But all of them were ignored,” Sarfaraz lamented.

He also criticized Inzamam's decision of constantly shuffling the batting order and suggested that he should have played higher in the order.

Showing his disgust about the many injuries and the falling standards of fielding, Sarfaraz said it was essential for Pakistan to concentrate on fitness and fielding and the players should be put under strenuous training for improvement in both the departments. -—Agencies