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PALLEKELE, March 12: Pakistan opted to spend the Saturday afternoon in light practice as six of the senior players, including their captain Shahid Afridi, skipped the optional session at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium here.
Apart from Afridi, vice-captain Misbah-ul-Haq, Shoaib Akhtar, Abdul Razzaq, Umar Gul and Mohammad Hafeez didn't show up at the ground while nine of their team-mates got themselves engaged in batting and bowling workouts in the nets behind the main stadium, ahead of Monday's World Cup Group 'A' match aganst Zimbabwe.Umar Akmal didn't participate in the exercise since he seemed to be still 'struggling' with the finger injury sustained a couple of days ago. Although there was no official word forthcoming from the team management, the indications are that the younger Akmal is a doubtful starter for the Zimbabwe fixture on Monday.
Pakistan are contemplating several changes to the side that was humiliated by New Zealand at the same venue last Tuesday and could bring in off-spinner Saeed Ajmal to form a three-pronged spin attack alongside Afridi and the slow left-armer Abdur Rehman.
Saeed, who played against Canada and took a vital wicket in Colombo nine days ago when Rehman was recuperating from a leg injury, expressed the hope that he will make a strong impression if he got his opportunity against the Zimbabweans.
In a brief chat with the media, the 33-year-old spinner said the conditions here suit the slow bowlers and he was looking forward to be bowling on the slow track. “I'm pretty confident that I can perform if a chance comes my way. Such has been the composition of the team that I had to spend my time on the sidelines. But I've been working hard in the nets in hope that I may get an opportunity to play tomorrow,” Saeed said.
“Obviously Rehman has become the team's preferred spinner to play alongside our captain [Shahid Afridi] in the past several months. I'll love to bowl even with the new ball if only I get a chance to play. I don't mind doing that because we already have seen in this World Cup, several sides opening the bowling with the spinners from one end.”
When asked whether his confidence has gone down since Michael Hussey's assault on his bowling during the semi-final of the ICC World Twenty20 Championship in the West Indies last year, Saeed said he had long overcome it and was now focussing on winning matches for his country.
“It's almost a year since that match and I don't think about it. It was Hussey's day and he really played well then. In any case it's cricket and anything can happen to anyone. I have forgotten about it."
