MELBOURNE: Vice-captain Salman Ali Agha is hoping Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah will be firing on all cylinders when Pakistan begin their three-match One-day International series against Australia on Monday, calling the team’s pace attack “very good”.

Fast bowlers Shaheen and Naseem, alongside star batter Babar Azam, were rested from the last two matches of the three-Test series against England last month and Salman said on Saturday that the duo had returned fresher to the side.

“They had been playing continuous cricket, so rest was essential,” Salman, who was only recently named deputy to newly-appointed limited-overs captain Mohammad Rizwan, told reporters after Pakistan’s training session at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. “Now they’re feeling quite fresh.”

With favourable conditions on offer in Australia, Salman is banking on the team’s pace attack to come good. “We have a very good pace attack with all of them having the ability to clock speeds of around 140km/h.”

Salman stressed that Shaheen, Naseem and Babar had not been dropped for the Tests against England but “they’d been playing cricket for two to three years and needed that rest”. “They’re very excited for the series and I expect they will all perform well.”

He commended former skipper Babar’s involvement and influence in the team. “He was a captain for a long time and whenever he feels like, he gives his inputs to the team,” added Salman.

Pakistan will also bank on insights from former Australian fast bowler Jason Gillespie, who is acting as head coach of for the limited overs series in Australia after white-ball coach Gary Kirsten’s recent departure.

“It is their [Australia’s] home ground and they’re a very good team,” said Salman. “But we also have a good team here. We’re planning according to their team, the grounds and pitches and we will try to execute our plans in the best way.

“Jason Gillespie is aware of the conditions here which is helping us a lot. We have been here for the last two days and did not have any discussion regarding the playing XI [for the first game].”

Pakistan have not played an ODI since the World Cup in India last year and Salman said he feels “only the colour of the kit has changed” as the team return to the format.

“Each team member is eager and hopeful to do their best here,” he added. “We’ll keep things simple and aim to put forth our best game.”

Published in Dawn, November 3rd, 2024