KARACHI: Rohail Nazir, the Pakistan U-19 captain and right-handed wicket-keeper batsman from Islamabad, has said that the cricketers’ job is to focus on cricket and deliver their best for their country and leave the rest for the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to handle.

He was responding to a question whether the Pakistan players will be wearing black armbands in the match against India in the forthcoming Asia Cup as a protest against the Indian atrocities in the Occupied Kashmir.

“We are cricketers and should focus on our cricket. We are here to play for our country. As far as the Kashmir issue is concerned, it’s up to the Pakistan Cricket Board and the Government of Pakistan,” said the 17-year-old in his media talk at the Hanif Mohammad High Performance Centre on Monday. “We can only try to give our best on the field which we will.”

When asked whether the team had special plans for India, the captain said: “There is no added pressure of the game against India. We have played against them in the past as well. We have our first game against Afghanistan so for now our focus is on winning against them. Our plan is simple. We’ll take it on a game-to-game approach. We will try to play to the best of our abilities against India and will try to win against them.”

Talking about accustoming themselves with the conditions, the captain said: “We played three matches in the camp. We are trying to adapt to the conditions that will be on offer in Sri Lanka.”

He was, however, brave enough to admit that the team had its work cut out in the fielding department after the last two tours. “I think we did well in our series against Sri Lanka and South Africa. We batted and bowled well but had some issues with our fielding. We have worked on our fielding in camps at the NCA and here,” said the Pakistan U-19 captain.

He was also courteous enough to give credit the physical trainer who has been working with the U-19 team. He said: “We have worked very hard on our fitness in the camp. And I would like to mention the name of our trainer, Saboor Bhai. He has worked very hard with us to ensure that everyone is fully fit.”

When asked whether the tight scheduling was bothersome, the Rohail said: “One day is enough for rest. We will start practicing from the next day.”

In response to a question regarding the team’s ‘poor performance’ at the U-19 Cricket World Cup last year, the captain was quick to point out that the team had made it to the semi-final. “I played the last U-19 World Cup as well. We lost to India in the semi-final but our performance in the tournament overall was good. The way we are playing at the moment, we will try to win the U-19 Asia Cup.”

Nazir also emphasised that every match was crucial for the team and that the team would try to win all three games of the group stage. He also acknowledged the importance of U-19 cricket and said: “U-19 cricket provides the international cricket with budding cricketers. Shaheen Shah Afridi and Mohammad Hasnain did well at the U-19 level which is why they are playing at the international and ‘A’ cricket.”

“We need to put our trust in the team and should try to give our best. All the players including myself should use this opportunity to perform well in order to cement their place in ‘big’ teams. If we perform well at the Asia Cup then I am hopeful that the selectors will give us a chance in the Pakistan Super League or any other forthcoming event,” concluded the Pakistan U-19 captain.

Published in Dawn, September 3rd, 2019