KARACHI: From nowhere Sohail Khan has come into the World Cup-bound party and former Test captain Rashid Latif reckons the tall pacer’s inclusion is a unique occurrence in Pakistan cricket.

“In Pakistan, cricketers get selected in three ways: some knock the door [with their impressive performance] but hardly make it, others join through the back door. Sohail, I believe, has come out in the third manner — he has gate-crashed,” said Rashid candidly when approached by Dawn to give his view on the selection of the right-arm paceman for the February-March showpiece.

“Sohail’s coming into the picture overnight for an event of World Cup’s magnitude, to me, is one of the rarest developments in Pakistan cricket history. He was not even in the preliminary squad but the selectors might have realised just at the right time that he would be useful in the mega event. It’s a decision purely taken on merit for which the credit should be given to the selectors,” he added.

“Sohail’s performance [in domestic cricket] strongly supports his selection in the national team and hopefully he along with other players will deliver in Australia and England.”

When asked to give his take on the squad selection, Rashid said: “I think Fawad Alam, given his recent show with the bat and his occasional bowling, deserved a place. And to me Bilawal Bhatti should have been preferred over Wahab Riaz. Wahab is also a good choice no doubt, but after investing on Bilawal during the past two years or so he should not have been overlooked at this point.”

Rashid believes Pakistan should in no way relax at the 14-nation extravaganza despite the cushion provided to major teams in the first round and their progress will depend a lot on their openers.

“Our openers will have a crucial role; opening has been our major concern and so the confidence with which the openers play will set the tone for Pakistan in the World Cup where handling pressure will be the key.”

Commenting on Pakistan’s chances in the mega event, the former wicket-keeper/batsman cautioned Misbah-ul-Haq and company could face tricky situation after the initial round. “The format is such that after the first round comes the knockout stage [quarter-finals], so we’ll need to guard against inconsistency, and play positive, compact cricket to progress,” he underlined.

Rashid named New Zealand and South Africa as favourites for the coveted title.

“Though definitely I would like Pakistan to win but I feel South Africa and New Zealand will have a good World Cup. South Africa have a top-class line-up and New Zealand have only improved in recent times. A team which can win a Test match and ODI series in the UAE [recently against Pakistan], can do much better in their home conditions.”

Meanwhile, former Pakistan international cricketer Moin-ul-Atiq, who a few days before the team was unveiled on Wednesday had highlighted Sohail’s case for World Cup selection, while predicting that the pacer would do well in the spectacle, urged the players and the team management to stay relaxed.

“I am really happy that a fine pacer like Sohail is going to the World Cup, simply because he deserves it. I feel he is a strong character and would perform at the big stage on bouncy Australian pitches,” Moin who worked as a psychologist-cum-motivational speaker for the PCB in recent past, emphasised.

On the psychological aspect of the game, Moin added: “As a psychologist I think two things are vital for success. First is teamwork and secondly a relaxed approach. Our players must remain a cohesive unit and under any circumstances should not feel stressed, rather they should enjoy each and every moment of the World Cup, without worrying about the results.”

Published in Dawn, January 8th, 2015

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