The second revelation has been Abdur Rehman, a man who has been hanging around the Pakistan squad like an uninvited guest. He may not be the "youngster" that Inzamam described him as, prompting a fit of laughter from Ramiz Raja, but perhaps that's a good thing. On the evidence of these first two matches, Rehman is a highly skilled left-arm spinner. His action is a touch unusual with his head almost turned away from the batsman as he delivers but he has hit a near perfect line in this series. His general energy and tidiness in the field suggest that Danish Kaneria might never make it into Pakistan's World Cup squad.

Pakistan's traditional strength has been its bowling. In a World Cup year, the return of Rana and the revelation of Rehman are important landmarks. With bench strength comprising Shahid Nazir, Mohammad Sami, Shabbir Ahmed, Yasir Arafat, Danish Kaneria, and Shahid Afridi--that's before we dare to discuss the comeback of Pakistan's most notorious bowlers --Inzamam's team is shaping up nicely in an important area. Australia might be in for a contest after all.

you can't decide that from just one game

There was always a good chance of Rana making a comeback, it wasnt that he didnt have the skill. At one time he was an automatic seletion for the ODI side till Asif made giant strides as a bowler and Rana lost his touch. Now even as good a bowler as he is he will find it hard to find a spot in playing XI if Asif and Shoaib make a comeback with the 3rd spot probably going to Gul.

Rehman had been the surprise package, he has shown a lot of maturity who has just entered the international arena. He is a clever bowler and handy lower order batsman, plus his swiftness in the field gives him a big edge of Danish who might be a decent bowler and has shown the capibilty of hitting some lusty blows with the bat but he is a pedistrian in the field.

I agree with you about Abdur Rehman. He seems like a handy spinner who is good with the bat as well. I think for world cup Pakistan would definatly face a delema about what bowlers go in a match with. But Inzi wouldnot have it any other way. Even if Shoaob amd Asif Do not play in the world cup ( Not Naderlon free ) I think Pakistan still have a good chance.

Well said Kamran, but the last Para seems quite bold as this is the same team that failed to even move to the next round in the ICC Champions Trophy. M. Sami, i must repeat, is not a good bowler, in fact i think so lowly of his bowling and his figures and his lack of performance in comparison to the chances offered to him that it offends me whenever his name is mentioned. M. Asif and S. Akhtar are match winning bowlers and i think Umer Gul is one of the best finds after them

kamran

Rana did get smacked for 21 runs of one over so i don;t think he is back to his ultimate best. We also have to remember that windies are missing key players in sarwan, chanderpaul and bravo. If we can beat or at least compete with South Africa next month it will give us a good indication on how pak will fare in windies. We still have two more one dayers to go, we need to remain clinical in order to boost confidence for the near approaching wc

So far, so good. Pakistan’s upcoming tour to South Africa will surely provide us an opportunity to measure how matured its batsmen are to play against quality seam attacks.
The other important issue is that they must demonstrate us that they can remain calm and composed under pressure. Often, we feel as if the Pakistani batsmen lack this quality.

Prof. dr. med. Kahn Meh

well i think if abdul-rehman fires then theres a slim chance of boom boom afridi returning in the near future unfortunately. I think the pakistan team is near enough complete for the world cup it has a balance of skilled batting and clever bowling. With the likes of rana,Gul and shabbir as second line bowlers we have the best bowling line up in the world. So inshallah we wil win the world cup.

Asif & Shoaib's return would indeed be "notorious". However, the PCB has already announced that thier return would be pending another internal dope test to ensure there are no traces of nandrolone in thier bloodstream, come the World Cup. Therefore, their participation for the event is still up in the air.

Regardless, one can say that Team Pak seem to be resonably covered in this important area if these to don't make it - dope tests, form, and fitness pending.

However, if Asif & Shoaib do make it to the WC squad, one would think that Kaneria, Rana, Sami, and Afridi would NOT make the starting 11 (though some of them should make it to the squad).

I think Shahid Afridi needs to be included in the team as he could be a very useful player due to his allround abilitie.

well kamran i agree with you that pakistan do have a "pleasant" problem on their hands when asif and shoaib return. but it seems to me that pakistan even after such a long time are still unsure about their final squad and even the batting order. they've experimented so much and now look, they're a couple of months away from the world cup, yet they dont have a final say on their bowlers,openers, and even their #3 spot. kamran akmal has been promoted to the one down spot for the past 2 matches. now if he does not work they will put younis back. but i dont understand if they had to take this step why didnt they take it before? and without shahid afridi in the squad the pakistan team are losing a lot of energy and support. this new bowler abdur rehman is a good find too but lets hope pakistan polish him into an even better bowler instead of using him and abusing him and throwing him back to domestic. just like they did with Imran Nazir,Asim Kamal,Salman Butt,e.t.c. Inshallah Pakistan can clear up this jumble before the WC arrives.

I absoluteley agree with Kamaran. Pakistan badly needs a good spinner in one day arena. I feel the role Saqlain Mustaq's had played in Pakistan's ODI side hasn't been filled yet. May be Abdul rahman will fit for that position. As far as Rana Naveed is concerned i feel he should be in Pakistan's ODI side. I appreciate his commitment towards the side which is lacking in Shoaib Aktahr.

plz plays the yasir hammed on for hafeez

Good Show Pakistan!

Pakistan must realize now that its strength is in bowling. So its necessary that we play with 4 specialist bowlers, NOT Three.

Three bowlers strategy was good when Razzaq was firing with the ball but now he is not anymore a threat so we must play with 4 specialist bowlers with either Shoaib or Kamran playing at top order, most probably as openers.

Its now between Shoaib Malik and Hafeez that who stays in the playing 11. I don't think that Pakistan needs Afridi in Middle Order as bowling allrounder since he can't take wickets consistently which Rehman or Kaneria can do. Of those 4 bowlers, one must be a spinner and Rehman is making his case stronger after every game.

So playing 11 of Pakistan should have 4 Specialist Batsmen, 4 Specialist bowlers, 1 Keeper Batsman and 2 Allrounders; 1 Spinning and 1 Fast bowling Allrounder. I think it will be a great combination.

But most importantly FOUR Specialist bowlers are Required even if we have to sacrifice a batsman or an allrounder since pressure cricket requires Tough Individuals NOT bits & pieces like Afridi.

Rana with just one good game cant be an automatic selection with shoaib, asif & gul in the team.Rehman i think has been a very good inclusion in the Pakistan team as the team has not had any specialist one day spinner since saqlain.

With the emergence of Abdur Rahman, our bowling attack looks more balanced. Pakistan desperately needed a middle overs bowler and they have found one in Abdur-Rahman. Shoaib and Asif are automatic selection but the selection of the third bowler acting as a back-up to these two can be a problem. Personally, i feel Rao is the perfect third seamer who can bowl well in middle overs. Gul,Rana,Shabbir,Nazir,Sami are all fine bowlers but they may find it difficult to make it to the first eleven. Similarly, Afridi and Malik may also sit out if Abdur-Rahman and Younus are played. Hafeez is a good opener and a perfect sixth bowler. I am confused about who can be the other opner out of Farhat, Hameed and Butt. My personal choice will be Hameed for his technique.But the left-right hand combination advantage will be lost in that case. Afridi can also be an option for the opening position on the dead pitches of carribean. A middle order back-up can be perfect in the form of Asim Kamal if thinking rationally. It looks a good team for the world cup. Let's hope Inzi gets the team combination right.

I agree Pakistan does have a strong bench strength on paperto our bowling with regards , but when push comes to shove can they hack it? If there is an examination done on the recent past it would be quite evident that our batting has let us down after our bowlers have done a reasonable job. On occasions such as the ICC game against SA where we had them on the ropes and could not go for the kill was attributed to our multitude of "allrounders" that not being able to force the kill in the latter half of the inning. Good allrounders are worth their weight in Gold, but just stacking them up in the team for the sake of flexibility serves no purpose.

rana comeback it is a great achievement for rana and our team.Rehman also is a good bowler.but one chance should for muhammd sammi.bye

Good call! If I am to jump to a conclusion, I think Pakistan might just have an embarrassment of riches as far as the bowling resources are concerned. I agree with Ashar who puts it rightly that Sami is just an over-rated bowler - for once Imran Khan, I believe, has got it wrong by labeling him as a match-winner. But one thing which boggles my mind, most truly, is: Does the pace battery of Pakistan which includes Shoaib, Asif, Rana, Gul, Shabbir and Shahid Nazir have the capability to be good bowlers at all time of the innings? Or is Pakistan going to find that it has 4 bowlers who can bowl brilliantly and probingly with the new ball but are lack the ability to be more then fillers when it comes to the middle and the depth overs! Barring Rana, and to an extent Shoaib, I don't think any of the lads have an extremely effective slower delivery. And if Pakistan has to find out what combination it will use to open the bowling, bowl in the middle and then at the depth, the time is now.

Regarding Rehman, I think his rise ends Danish's hopes of a journey to the world cup ... though not the smartest but Rehman is also a better fielder than Danish. But to me the more important question is: Does the rise of Rehman signal some sort of an end for the likes of Shoaib Malik - whose batting at best has been pedastrian off-late!

A lot of thinking to do ...

I don't know what business Kamran Akmal has at No. 3 in presence of Yousuf and Shoaib Malik. Either he should be sent as an opener in place of streaky Imran Farhat or should bat at no. 7. Incidently, Imran Farhat should be dropped more for his poor fielding than his crazy batting. In the last few matches his dropped catches have been more expensive than the runs that he has 'managed' to score.

Bowling may not be a problem for Pakistan at the moment but we still need runs on thee board. and this where Pakistan could be found wanting. The current line up is one batsman short and there are too many bowlers that will not bowl a ful quota. If Shoaib Malik, Mohd. Hafeez and Abdul Razzak are to be called allrounders they must bowl more overs between them. Then only Pakistan could play an extra batsman or even Afridi. At the moment the tail seems to be too long and there is no one who could effectivly bowl at the death overs. I fail to understand why Rana Naved cannot bowl inswingers (to RH batsman) with the new ball. If could do this he could be the most deadly bowler in this line up. He only bowls an offcutter. If could bowl even bowl a seam up delivery pointing toward legside he could cause problems. I think Waqar can do a lot to help him in this regard!

If I were the captain of Pakistan team I'd go for a combination of Asif, Shoaib and Rana, as he swings the ball much more than Umar Gul and can bat well.

In my opinion Abdur Rehman is a natural talent and I won't be surprised if becomes tomorrow's Muralitharan. But you still can't ignore the temperament of Danish Kaneria. I think he should be Pakistan's primary spinner in tests and Abdur Rehman should bowl only in the ODIs.

Abdur Rehman may be a good leg spinner, but I don't think he should be included in the one-day squad. By being a left arm spinner he has less chances of getting wickets (less LBW decisions). We need match winning bowlers - someone who has a chance of taking 4-5 wickets in the match. If you look around I don't think any team has a specialist left arm spinner in the team. It would be better if Pakistan include either Shahid Afridi, who can also get couple of wickets for around 40 runs and can turn the game in Pakistan's favor in just 5 overs, or get another fast bowler. With Shoaib and Asif returning we have the luxury of 5 match winning bowlers (Shoaib, Asif, Shabbir, Gul, and Rana). We don't have to play all 5, but 3 with Abdul Razzaq may be a good option. Abdur Rehman should be given a chance in test matches.

It is a good thing for Pakistan that their bench strength is increasing but they are only useful if in a given match they perform. If you are to compare Australia to Pakistan, I would say that Pakistan doesn't have the bench strength like that of Australia. Pakistan team has been and is so unpredictable that on any given day a winning match ends up being lost. What Pakistan really needs is really good quality batsmen. Only than their bench strength will grow. Australia had Mike Hussey and they didn't even give him a chance until he was 31 yrs old and as soon as he was given a chance he has just taken over the show. That's what Pakistan needs a player of immense quality that can hold one end for as long as he wants with taking any type of pressure from anyone else. As for Shahid Afridi, well his magic works only on limited occasions. He is yet to prove that he is a quality batsmen. Just by demolishing a bowling attack for 7 - 10 overs isn't enough and even that doesn't work all the time. Mostly he is back in pavillion in less than 10 balls. Although Pakistan has found a bowler in Rehman they still lack the quality batsmen. 2 Y's and inzi alone cant handle the middle order which on a given day collapses like a school team. For Pakistan to be a force in the next World Cup they need at least 7 players firing and that doesn't include bowlers. Only than you can say that they can challange Australia .

With the emergence of Umar Gul and Abdur Rehman and Rana back in form, this Pakistani lineup even without Shoaib and Asif has suddenly started to look formidable. Now the dilemma is, with Shoaib and Asif coming back, what would be the final bowling lineup. Shoaib and Asif pick themselves. Most people would say Umar Gul should be selected as the third seamer, but with Asif already back in the team, i think, given that he is in form, Rana should make the final eleven ahead of Umar Gul. Reason for that is, Umar Gul and Asif are pretty much the same type of bowlers. Rana on the other hand, despite being expensive at times, is a striking bowler. Plus he adds to the depth of the batting order. Abdur Rehman should play, even though many people might say that it is weakening the batting. But come to think of it, he has replaced Afridi in this Pakistani lineup, someone who has hardly contributed with the bat in the recent past.Im sure Abdur Rehman wouldprove to be a much more reliable lower order batsman compared to Afridi. One more thing, Abdur Razzaq should try to get more consistent with both bat and ball, because with Hafeez and Malik being more than capable of sharing the fifth bowlers duties, it would not be long when the thought of replacing Razzaq with a specialist batsman strikes te team management/selectors's mind.

Though Rana bowled brilliantly today and was well abetted by Gul and company, I don't think Pakistan will come close to winning the World Cup unless they do something about their opening position. Farhat, despite getting a streaky 50 today is at best, club standard. I'm just flabbergasted at how and why the selectors are sticking with him. It was downright embarrassing to see him swishing at balls outside his off stump, throwing his bat at balls bowled at him and being unable to hit balls delivered at his pads. At the end of it, it hit me like a mad truck. As scary as it sounds, is Farhat the best opener in the country?
Even if, Hafeez is playing a lot better than Farhat, it is imperative that he too, tightens up his defense and vastly improves his shot selection. I hope Bob looks into this as soon as possible as the opening position is clearly, our Achilles heel and the main obstacle in our path to becoming world champions.

Well, I will agree with you about the present statistics but will Pakistan be able to maintain the same form in the run up to the world cup. We are being too optimistic when we say that Pakistan can challenge Australia, the big question is that will they even be able to challenge South Africa .The resurgence of Rana will help, but his performance is too unpredictable .As for Abdul Rehman it is too early to really judge his mettle, his real test will be against high class teams. I wish Pakistan cricket team the best of luck for the future.

Yes, Pakistan could not reach the next round of ICC trophy, but has beaten twice one of the finalists comfortably.

Rana naveed has always been a better bowler than expectation other than the last few months.Good that he has struck his form again. Abdul Rehman is a good find and i am sure that management might give him a chance in world cup.Pakistan may enter the World cup with more talent than it can handle!!!

i think that abdul razzaq is playing very badly in these series.he have been quite with both bat and the ball. we have bowlers in the team like rana,gul,rao who are doing their job.maybe pakistan can change razzaq with yasir hameed and get some more batting.

No doubt Inzi will be facing a pleasant problem in bowling department but if we analyse each of them then it should not be a difficult task to shortlist the best four or five bowlers. I agree that expereience does count but in my opnion players should only be evaluated on their present form rather than previous years achievements. If we talk of merits than Sami and Kaneria does not fit into current squad. No doubt Gul, Rana & Shahid has performed brilliantly for Pak during absence of S&A, therefore they should be rewarded for their heroics. Shoaib, Asif & Gul could be frontline bowlers whereas Rana & Shahid could fit as reserves.

its good to see youngsters perfoming well as well as mohammad yousuf.
he is the record making player

Obviously,Pakistan has a good chance of winning,with handy openers and a bunch of great bowlers. Gud Luck Pakistan !!

You are completely right about Pakistan having a problem on their hands just in time for the World Cup. This problem is not pleasant as you said, but it is rather deplorable. With the team finally meshing and winning some big matches against West Indies, the thought of all these great players ruining the teamwork set fourth by the current team really disturbs me. The World Cup is near and we don’t need the shuffle the starting lineup just enough to ruin the flow of our current team. I think by the South Africa series, Pakistan must have their 4/5 bowlers selected for the World Cup so the team has a chance of meshing together. We would all agree that Pakistan has a lot of talent, but can all that talent translate into a good World Cup. Apparently that was not the case in the last World Cup.

no doubting the fact that pakistan have a very good bowling attack now with reak bench strength, but fro competing in the world cup against sides like southafrica, australia and newzealand they will need a very solid batting performance as well. YoU cant expect to win a world cup with a batting line that is brittle under seaming conditions. I believ the tour to South africa will be a real litmus test for our batsmen, if they do will there then coupled with a good bowling attack we might just be hopeful contenders for the world cup.

I think Pakistans best bowling attack would comprise of Shoaib,Asif and Gul.The reason why Rana can't be judged now is because he has this tendency at times to bowl a very short length or a very fullish length which may go wrong in certain conditions.AbdulRehman has been good but we need to see more of him.

I say make him a regular and get blokes like Razzaq,Malik in the team on basis of the pitch and play an extra specialist batsmen.

Well done guys!!! All of you have showed un-matchable spirit to pull out this win.

Keep the stone rolling till you meet Australia in the World Cup finals. And you must get double boost as your arch rivals are struggling in RSA.

One Kamran to another :
"How can you justify RAO IFTIKHAR ANJUM in the team .. He's such an ordinary bowler and I am sure he is playing because he has someone in higher ups that let him play - He would not make it to street level cricket in Karachi.. and you leave Sami out .. who in Imran Khan words "Sami has the speed to gun anyone out "

Always incisive in his comments but I would like to Kamran if you thought if Shoaib Akhtar would be a viable choice in the World Cup. From what I have seen, he lacks in his line and length and tends be be very expensive in an ODI format. Ideally, he should rely upon more on his yorkers rather than short pitch deliveries, but that remains to be seen. I would like to see Rana bowl well in the next two ODIs and in the forthcoming tour of South Africa to think that he belongs in the World Cup eleven. Sami should not be in the team because there is no evidence that he can be a factor in the World Cup. Mohaammad Asif and Omar Gul have to at their best for Pakistan to be in the semi-finals of the World Cup. I am frankly worried about Pakistani fieliding, especially the tenddency to drop crucial catches. Lastly, Pakistani team needs Shahid Afridi for the World Cup and I have no idea what Inzi and Bob Woolmer are doing about it.

Talking of batting how about tryin Salman Butt again in place of Farhat who is too straeky and will not survive against Pollock or Mcgrath.Also with injury to Inzy and Younis probably out of next game how about trying Shahid Yousuf.He could be more useful than Malik as Maliks bowling isn't required following rise of AbdulRehman and i think Hafeez is a better bowler.

Got back from the stadium a while ago and it was a good win in the end. Pakistan do have some problems at their hand. I for one don't rate Hafeez as a good enough player to be in the final eleven. If all se seems to be gettin is 20's and 30's and taking his time doing so then we are far better off bringing back Afridi. In the WI he would do well as an opener.

Shoaib Malik has had a good run at number three and also at six but he's not been in the best of form lately.

As for Razzaq, hes a bit of a one dimentional player these days. Cant change between batting modes and isn't an automatic choice on his bowling abilities.

All the best to Pakistan!

I agree with your views and sincerely hope that Danish k is out coz I feel presently he is the most over rated bowler in the squad.And if at all we need a leggie in the squad, Mushy is still getting wickets in county cricket, shud not be overlooked.

i agree that pakistan's biggest strength is its bowling. and now, with bowlers like gul, rana doing well, and with new bowlers like rehman, stepping up, i am even more confident in our bowling attack. with bowlers like shoaib, asif, and gul leading the way with a supporting cast of other good bowlers, pakistan's chances in the world cup improve. good job guys! keep it up!!!

i want sami in the team he is much better than gul and rana

Rana's comeback is good. However we should not jump to conclusions when it comes to "kid" Abdur Rehman. He has only played 2 mathces on slow Pakistan pitches against very weak and in-experinced batting line up of West Indies.
That is no indication of how he would perform in South Africa or in Westindies if he is chosen for World Cup.

I think Danish should definitely be part of Pakistan's World Cup plans.

well Done Pakistan. But I still think its the right time to bring in Faisal Iqbal in place of Razak. Our batting is very brittle and needs to be strengthend by bringing in another specialist batsman. we can use Hafeez and Malik as 5th and 6th bowlers.

I was quite sure that Abdur Rehman would be tried in tests but he was not. But in one-dayers, we need his all-round abilities.

Rana coming back to form is a nice omen for Pakistan.

it is good to see rana firing again and it will create a healthy competition between rana ,gul and shabir to accompany asif and shoaib in bowling line up, and selectors should give yasir hameed a achance to open with hafeez as imran farhat is only a club level batsman and fielder and he will exposed more on SA tour where pitches will be bouncy and fielders at their best.
rehman is surely a good addition to team now razaq´s position will be in danger because malik is a far better fielder than razaq and can bat in tha same manner as razaq does in tha final overs
i think younis should be replaced by imran nazir in odis or by yasir hameed at no 3 bcoz he is more suitable for test cricket.
and finally i will suggest that first see pak team´s performance in SA then be optimistic for wc

Shoaib & Asif! are you sure they are coming back?

aoa sir.
what about the team selection if abdul rehman fails in south africa?
will afridi get a place and what are your comments on asim kamal?
will he get HIS place back as he has got a great technique
plz write your comments on asim kamal

One may have a special liking for a player but when commenting about selecting the best Pakistani team for the WC, I cannot fathom how someone can pick Sami over Rana and Gul. Rans does have a good ODI record to stand on, Gul by any standard has performed well on a regular basis. I saw him during the last tour in England bowl at Lords. And since then he has improved immensely, to the extent, that Rameez Raja commented that Gul can bowl well on any track. In the aftermath of Oval fiasco and doping charges against Asif and Shoiab, there are couple of things that have really boosted Pakistani cricket team ego and esteem, namely, Mohammad Yousaf historical performance and belonging to an elite league of batsmen in the world, and secondly, Gul's emergence as a strike bowler. It is unrealistic for anyone think that Sami should be in the team for the WC, let alone in the final eleven.

Your columns are impressively knowledgeable and you do write with lot of reason. To conclude with "Australia might be in for a contest after all"-- I would caution, its too wishful and too early:)

Well you cam just not comment based on 2 games and moreso Pakistan is playing on their home conditions which always helps . Without taking anything away from the Pakistan bowlers, this Windies team has a depleted batting attack. They are missing Sarwan, Bravo and Chanderpaul who has shown in the recent past how important pieces of the Jigsaw and how important a role they have played in the recent Windies Oneday success.

Already with Imran Farahat, they got a world class cheat. So they have that selection covered.

pak got good bowlin an batin but u cant always depend on demm theyre watn u called unpredictable
they can win de world cup i am sure beat stupid aussus

On the whole a fair assessment. But I do not agree with when you have included Sami. I agree with comments by Ashar Hameed that he is a luxury Pakistan can ill afford. He has had enough opportunities and has failed to deliver. Recent Pakistan successes have proved that speed alone is not the solution if it is without line and length. The other player I do not agree with you is Shahid Afridi. No player has done as much disservice to himself as Afridi has done. Entertain the crowd? Yes by all means but not at the expense of team plans. He should take some lessons from the likes of Jaysuria,Tharanga,Kemp,Gilchrist,Dhoni,Pieterson and Gayle. 233 ODIs at a paltry average of 23.01!
What a waste of talent. He also has had enough opportunities and Pakistan has to move on.

Why is everyone dishing Afridi for. He may be out of form, but there is no denying that with either bat or ball Afridi is a match winner. Every one goes to a rough patch with their form, even Inzi. I am disgusted to see that the selestors have not even considered him, the only way he is going to regain his form is if he has match practice. And if pakistan want to win the world cup they have to play him NOW.

Here we go again getting ahead of ourself contest for Australia YOU MUST BE JOKING

Imran farhat should be dropped and afridi should replace him. Farhat cant feild and althoug he tries to bat like afridi he hasnt got the natural talent like afridi, and his shot selectio is almost as bad as afridi's

I agree that Umar Gul and AbdurRehman are performing up to standard, but I really don't think that they can be compared to Shoib Aktar and Danish Kaneria just yet.
They haven't had the experience that Aktar and Kaneria has.

[Tauhira from Jamaica]

I think that Pakistan is mismanaging the team right now at a most crucial time. Let us remember that these 4 ODIs against the Windies and then 6 in SA are our last matches prior to the WC. The SA pitches have nothing in common with those in the West Indies, which makes these last few matches at home so much more important. It is in these matches that we should be finalizing our best 11 and giving them a chance to play together.

With that having been said, there are so many glaring issues that need to be addressed. Farhat clearly does not have big match temperament, and Yasir Hameed deserves at least a chance; we have to get our opening pair well set before SA. I have no idea what is inspiring our captain to put Kamran Akmal in at 1 down; he is made for the middle order and needs to stay there. When Pakistan was on their most successful ODI run over the last 18 months, the most prolific #3 batsman statistically has been Shoaib Malik. Of course this would not even be an issue if our stalwarts Yousuf and Inzi were not afraid of coming in at 1 down. Finally, why are we even considering Abdul Rehman? He may do well against the lowly Windies in these friendly conditions, but how would he do against India, SA or Australia under more trying circumstances? He is raw and inexperienced and having an unknown quantity like that is the last thing we need for the WC. All of this experimentation right on the heels of the most important tournament is risky and dangerous. The omission of Afridi is simply preposterous, especially given the his success during our last tour of the Windies. He may be out of form now, but he is a match winner, with his bat, ball, fielding, and charisma.

Let's hope that the powers that be come to their senses and help us choose the right team to win the world cup.

I think Hameed should be included in place of Hafeez and Afridi for Abdur Rehman......

I can't fathom the wisdom of Pakistan selectors. Why would you ever play Rao Ifthikar(sp...?)when you have Shahid Nazir, Sami and Arafat sitting on your bench? I think Imran Farhat will be cruelly exposed in South Africa by Pollock & Co. The only thing that would warrant putting a bit of a flutter on Pakistan for the WC is that the conditions are going to be low and slow.

hello everybody.....being an indian but a cricket fan i will say that Pakistan or any team is yet no match for Australia.....Aussies are very disciplined unit and they play for the team, their country..... Just from one series at home against WI we can not decide that Pakistan has a chance for winning the cup....Pakistan really disappointed me in champins trophy and same as India..... But if we want to win the world cup we have to improve our fielding and batting....And please include Afridi in the Team because people from other countries watch Pakistan play only because of Afridi......
And pakistan or any other Team is no match for Australia.....guaranteed.

from vancouver

the world cup 3 months away,
but with this mouthwatering bowling attack at our disposal,
im already looking forward to 2007-08 series against india and australia,
australia may finally have a worthy challenger for their dominance

Imran Farhat is the one who doesnt deserve to be in the 11 bcoz his batting is totally flawed and his fielding is ridiculous. Hafeez seems to be a very mature player. He definitely is a "Lambi race ka ghoda". Pakistan will do good to invest in Hafeez.

The Pakistani team baffles me sometimes it struggles to score 150 others it struggles to defend 300. One would think we're only as good as the pitch is.

I remember before the 1992 World Cup Pakistan was clueless when it came to chasing now our dilemma is putting up enough runs on the board for the bowlers to defend. On paper we seem to have a prodigious batting line up but in practicality its perhaps a team dependant on two superstars and one workhose.

The bowling though is improving by the day even though we have not found a raw pace talents the likes of a young Waqar or even Shoaib but the seamers are effective. Rana is bowling well, the length is good and the line accurate much more than once could say for Shoaib or even those before him. The current stock of pacers/seamers are a hardworking accurte lot. The spin department is coming along nicely don't think we have a shot in this world cup but judging by how the development work under Woolmer is coming along we may have a good shot when the cup returns to the Sub-Continent is 2011 and what a party that would be!

We are so good with ZERO and HERO hypothesis.Let Rehman play some matches before we call him a FINE FIND.
Afridi doesn't deserve a place in team. I can average in 20s and make couple of hundereds in 20X10 matches.
Its a positive bad news for Pakistan to be in tangle of who to choose for playing eleven. Inclusion should be based on performance not NAME TAGS. Akmal is talented, i wont mind him playing at different positions. Hafeez and Farhat are doing good.
Pakistan has good chances of winning the W.C but less than Aussies and Africans.
Good luck Pakistan.

They say love is blind.It certainly is blind in the case off Afridi fans.I would like too know is how many times has afridi won a man off the match award in 233 odi.I think that should settle any argument as too whether afridi is a matchwinner or not.AS for being a crowdpleaser, and entertainer he difinitely is. But we need a team off professionals who can win the world cup,not someone whose only objective is too hit a few sixes.He has been the biggest under achiever in pakistan cricketing his refusal too change and be disciplined has been a let down.How can someone as talented as he is,with the greatest natural ability and a god given skill fail so consistently Afridi should be ashamed of himself for wasting a gift that he has been blessed.If he had been more professional in his attitude than he would have been competing with Lara, Ponting,tendulkar as the worlds Numero Uno.In the same manners he should be competing with shane warne,mushtaq ahmed e.t.c as the worlds premier leg spinner.But instead he has after 233 odi neither mastered the art off bowling nor batting.A perrenial under achiever the jack off all trades and competent at none.Yes afridi fans love can indeed be blind. AS for Abdur rehman a brilliant discovery so far hope he can continues. With waqar doing a good job as pace bowling coach.I think pakistan should bring back Mushtaq ahmed too help the likes off Hafeez,malik,and abdur rehman in the spin department.

Being a cricket lover i become unhappy when ever i see the waqar younis out from the field while inzi iz in coz he iz old enugh while waqar has stilla good career.which made me unhappy when ever i see him out from the field

Okay, this is what I think will happen in the world cup: Shoaib Akhter would limp out of the field after bowling the first 5 overs of the first game. He would then be sent back home due to some sort of a fracture, stress-related or otherwise.
So realistically, it seems like its going to be Rana, Gul and Asif as our top three picks.

openers? regardless of whether they score they are way to shaky. lets go for inconsistent batsman with class. hameed and butt. they dont play and miss like these guys.

Well I am really happy for Abdul Rehman.It is still quite early to comment wether he can make a mark like saqlain but nice to see a good spinner in the team after a long time. His late but due arrival is because Inzimam doesnt feel secure witha specialist spinner in ODiz. Since made captain we have seen his poor and pathetic captaincy especially with spinners operating. even with 4-5 wickets down he gives open singles to the new batsman.I have never seen him attacing with a spin bowler.He seems to be without any strategy whatsoever with a spinner. Also after Saqlain Mushtaq ,wasted by AMMIR SOHAIL, we never had any match wining spinner which is essential weapon in any form of cricket. In Short Abdul Rehman could be the ingredient that was missing from the winning reciepe. Lets hope he is given enough chance.

shoaib and asif are the armoury of pak cricket team...but other players are also fine...Umar gul is doing a good job...but these youngsters are NOT enough for the world cup victory

I truly believe that no dought about rana. he is the great bowler. But on the other hand its very diffecult to discuess and deside about the world cup squad. on the other side rehman is a good left arm spinner if compare with danish in ODIS. But i think in world cup people need hope that shahid Afridi is the part of the squade.

Now what can I say for IMRAN FARHAT.....the way he batted today for his 58...believe me as a cricket lover and keen observer of PAkistani team, I felt really ashamed. Such pathetic display of play and missbut. I wonder if there is anyone luckier in cricket world than IMRAN FARHAT. He neither has a technicque for a good opener and on top of it he is butter finger. Just remind how many catches did he drop in recent time. Also remeind how many catcehs did he offer before throwing away his wicket.But still INZMAM is backing him. He plays so sqaure of the wicket, same problem like IMran Nazir, seldom drivesand on top of it he is one of the weekest opener I have seen on his legs/Pads . The way he was trying to slog today with out much success was astonishing. Please I want end to this agony of watching him in the team.
Ask anyone witha good technical knowledge of cricket, Salman Butt is best among these guys including yasir hameed, taufeeq umer and Imran Ferhat.

well i think it wud rather be a pleasant dilemma for pakistan if they have to chose their team in the world cup from among 13,14 very best of the players..rehman has certainly made a strong case for himself,so has rana naveed.i think rehman posseses the guile and most importantly the patience which kaneria misses..plus he can bat and field well too..n the best thing abt him is that he sticks to the basics..if he carries on his good work i think he can give danish kaneria a good rum for his money in the test side as well..as far as the seam attack is concerned, i think Pakistan shud have shoaib,asif,rana naveed n razzaq 4 the WC.i say rana naveed in place of gul coz he s an excellent bowler at depth..n y do we forget rao iftikhar when we mention our seam attack..i think he s the most consistent bowler with line n legth in the pakisatn squad..well @digitally urz i think farhat is a much better option then butt coz atleast he delivers...n butt has got the poorest of techniques 4 DA LURING BALLS OUTSYD OFFSTUMP AS WAS EXPOSED BY EVEN THE DOLLY INDIAN PACE ATTACK..!

Its a little too early to judge Rana and Rehman. Lets not forget that we are afterall playing at home. Many of our batsmen and bowlers do exceptionally well at home. What counts is how well they perform away from home, so lets be quietly optimistic about the two performers.

Why people even thinking Rana instead of Gul.It makes me sick.Regional politics?.Here is the team:[ImranFarhat,Hafeez,Salman],[Yousuf, Younus, Inzamul], Kamran, Afridi/Rahman,[Shoib, Asif and Gul]. Why three openers since,they are not that good and to take off pressure from the middle order.And Hafeez is a o.k bowler.Three Strike bowlers are good enough we need 2 extra bowlers
economy bowlers.Three opener can put atleast 100 runs then y,y & I company will Inshallah make
120 or more.Kamran and the rest 40 and extra runs 10 that should be 270 minimum runs.And S,A& Gul will take care the rest.If Rahman shows good batting we will miss Afridi.We need to see
if Afridi get back his form otherwise; out.With Australia everyone needs to be 10% better.Why not
Razzaq he is usually expensive but to be honest
Afridi/Rahman/Razzaq is the most confusing part of the selection.Well Hafeez/S Malik is also.Keep in mind Razzak is usually expensive.Salman is usually good against Australia.

The emergence of Gul and Rehman and the return of Rana to form have indeed created a very pleasant dilemma for Pakistani team management. I hope, now that Asif & Shoaib are back, Inzi & Woolmer will rotate these fast bowlers in the build up to the world cup so that they remain match fit and fresh. This applies to Gul specially who has come back from a horrendous injury which kept him away from cricket for more than a year. He has been bowling non-stop since the England tour.

Emergence of all these bowlers should also threaten Razak's place in the side, especially in test arena. The way I see it, those flat, slowish pitches in Caribbean suit Rehman (a slow left armer) and Afridi (a wrist spinner) more than Razak. Razak's contribution to Pakistan's success in the last year has only been with the bat and that too very infrequently. I think you should discuss Razak's role in the Pakistani side in a separate thread.

Salman Butt might be better then Farhat but has been figured out by the opposition already. He is pretty much useless against teams that use their brain (ie eng, aus, NZ). The flaws in his game get somewhat covered up on pakistani flat tracks but there is no way he wouldve lasted 5 overs had he player last night. All inzi wants from his openers is a 50 run opening parnetship. Afridi and Salman and even Yasir cant be depended on providing him that. Farhat may look like a tapeball batsman but he gets the job done. Biggest disappointment however has been Shoaib malik .. he once was considered in the same class as younis with potential to be better then yousuf but he seems to be fading away .

Hats off too Waqar(VickY boy) not only to help Rana got his lost touch back but also helping Umer Gul who is improving every mtach he plays .I am sure if Mohhammad Sami is kept with Him(Waqar yonus) i have no doubt he has ability to become one of better bowler of this ERa. On the closing note for me Winnning test series in Austrlia is biggest prize in Modern Day cricket. than world cup.

KAMRAN ABBASSI - if this is the mental pabulum you are giving to the selectors to select a team for SA tour or the World Cup 2007, then you are confusing the confused ones even more.

The selectors have done this b4 i.e., bringing or keeping a new player (who plays to fill in the slot due to the absence of a regular player) who has performed moderately well in one game and then they completely forget about the class of a player who has been consistent in the past and has also proved his mettle earlier not just in one match or a series but in many matches and all over the world. If you look at the history of player selection it has always been on a very ad hoc basis.

When Shoaib Akhtar came back from Australia Rana had to fill in his place so he got a chance and was lucky to perform well, but look at his stats they are nothing great. Pakistan still lost that series in Australia. Immediately after that trip to Aus., Pak went to India and won the series but NOT because of Rana. In the last 3 ODI's which Pakistan won, the first one because of Inzi (in Ahmadabad) and second one because of (Shahid Afridi's Kanpur massacre) by then India was morally down and out by Afridi's thrashing, so there is no big deal if Rana had gotten a few wickets against a dying team. In England this year, where he broke all the county records along with Mushy, he came back in the ODI squad after his injury and actually helped Pakistan loose against a depleted dying England team.

In my opinion RANA should not be in the world cup squad ! In the last match, he was lucky to trap Lara on his first ball and then also got Gayle in similar fashion but only after being thrashed all over the ground. Rana is one of the worst fielders who makes a big show, he makes a big dive when it is not needed and the end result is; either he has dropped a catch or the ball has crossed the boundary line and he is lying on the ground in utter dismay and making faces.

REHMAN should not be praised so much for taking just 2 wickets in each match and that too on home grounds, and that too, against a "West Indies Club Side" led by Lara and his deputy Chris Gayle. There is no Chanderpaul, no Sarwan, no Bravo and people have started talking about Rahman so high like he is next Saqlain Mushtaq. Rehman too, is a bad fielder, and gave away a few extra runs. There is no way he can justify his place against Shahid Afridi who is a complete player and not just a spinner.

Those who were watching the game last night must have seen how Farhat dropped a simple regulation, chest level catch in the slips........and also his claim of picking up the ball cleanly to dismiss the same batsman 9 runs later seems rather dubious to me. It wasn't a clean pick, but the third umpire had another view. Despite his gritty 50 odd score which he wouldn't have reached there if Samuels had not dropped a straight forward catch. But Farhat will stay, he will go to SA and also be a playing member in the World Cup. The selectors don't see the basic flaw in Farhat's technique. To me he appears to be sleeping momentarily while he is fielding and wakes up to drop a simple regulation catch. Similarly while batting there is a sudden rush of blood to cut a loose shot! Farhat can be a reserve player, but Afridi must be in the team......of course along with Asif and Shoaib.
1. Hafeez 2. Afridi 3.Younis 4. Yousuf 5. Inzi. 6. Shoaib Malik 7. Razzaq 8. Kamran 9. Shoaib Akhtar. 10. Asif.

The 11th player should either be a spinner or a fast bowler depending on the nature of the pitch and the playing conditions..... Rahman can come in as a spinner. Or Sami, or Rao or Yasir Arafat whoever is in the team can fill in that spot if a fast bowler is needed. I would prefer Yasir Arafat but I won't mind giving one LAST chance to Sami in S.A. because of his speed.

For the first time in years, pakistan seems to have a good combination of batting and bowling.This is the perfect order and they should use the same combination in South Africa. The only weaker part in the batting line up is Hafeez as an opener and I would be watching his performance closely in South Africa; he is an irreplacable off spinner for one day though.

Something is wrong with all of us. We can compete with Australia? Who are you kidding with? We are no way near as good as them. Every time I hear that Pakistan is capable of beating the Aussies I just think its utter crap. I remember when Woolmer came he made statments to making Pakistan a winning team in six months. Guys we might be good but not as good as Australia. We still have a long way to go.

Imran Farhat- What is that dude doing in team? I see another Muhammad Sami in the making. He should be kicked out of the team. He doesnt deserve to be in team at all such a scratchy player he is. So what are the alternatives for opening slot. We always have Salman Butt and Yasir Hameed. And then we have Taufeeq Umar whose career has been ruined. He was such a great batsman, but thanks to the selectors fiddling with openers. And if you dont wany any them, then you always have Shoaib Malik. The guy was great at no 3, but since he has been replaced by Younis Khan they can use Malik as opener.

Afridi could be bought back into side and bat down lower in the order. Faisal Iqbal is another option. We can have great hitters in Afridi, Razzaq and Akmal down the order.

Abdur Rehman- I havent seen him bowl but its still early days for him. The opinion by Abbasi is premature even though he may be correct. Let him play a handful of more ODIs and we will see. Naveed was always good, he had just lost the plot for a while.

Another thing. Never mention the name of Muhammad Sami and Imran Farhat in the camp. Because of them, careers of people like Taufeeq Umar, Asim Kamal and Shahid Nazir/Yasir Arafat have been destroyed. We just need pateint team selectors and in the end we might end up challenging Australia.

your analysis is based on matches on home turfs. don't forget the unpredictability of our beloved crickters and their record on bouncy/alien pitches.let us wait and see.

If the ban on Shoaib and asif had lead to the situation of crisis for pakistan now their sudden return is having a great POSITIVE efFect on the moral of the team. i would say this short lasting ban on asif and shoaib has helped us alot. With boTh of them returning and A new discovery of a spinner in the form of Abdur rahman WORLD CUP 2007: WE ARE ON OUR WAY!!!!

My several years’ observations about the Pakistani cricket players are very negative. In my honest opinion they are only good on the home fields. When it comes to play in the ICC major tournaments such as Champions trophy and the World Cup, the team always failed. I can’t wait to see their performances in the up coming World Cup. I believe that the Pakistani team will not make it even in the play off.

Glendale Heighs, Illinois. USA

Kamran, I have to say the comments on your blog from readers sometimes offer better insights into Pakistan cricket than what we hear from commentators on the TV and in the press. Keep up the great blog effort you have launched. It's a pleasure to read it.

Why is there even talk about M Sami, just cuz Mr. Khan says he is a match winner does that mean we have to include him.
We have all forgotten about the other ban - Shabbir - which has been lifted and will be available for the SA and WC tours. Now that would really add depth to bench.

Quite astonishingly, the one-day player I struggle to fit into a dream team is now Razzaq!

Pakistan won the 1992 World Cup by fielding 4 wicket-taking bowlers: in 2007 their equivalents would be 9. Shoaib, 11. Asif, 10. Gul and 8. Rana Naved. You need four wicket-takers: otherwise players like Symonds, Pieterson or Flintoff can take the game away from you while your non-strike bowlers are wheeling away in the middle overs.

If Kamran Akmal bats 7, which is rather high, that leaves six slots for specialist batsmen. If Younis, Yousuf and Inzy bat 3, 4 and 5, that leaves the two opening slots and the number 6 slot.

You perm two from Hafeez, Farhat and Hameed to open, which leaves Shoaib Malik, Abdul Razzaq and Shahid Afridi fighting for one slot at number 6 for a batsman who can bowl.

And in spite of Razzaq and Afridi's ability to smash sixes, neither is good at running ones or twos and rotating the strike. Shoaib Malik is, and given his ability to bowl spin I would pick him ahead of Razzaq.

Look, if Rana, Shoaib, Asif and Kaneria are deemed to be the 4 best bowlers in the country, they should play the World Cup. Fielding or no fielding. I'd rather have batsmen who can bat and bowlers who can bowl first of all. After all Imran could hardly field, Inzi isnt the greatest either and Sourav is average! Lot of people here sound like BD or Zim fans who maybe need to worry about such things! I know the Aussies would rather face Rehman than Danish!

I am so happy to see a full-time spinner, in the form of talented Rehman, in our ODI side after a long period of time. A spinner plays a vital role (Warne, Murli, Saqi) in ODI games. Rehman has been very impressive and making a difference. I am hoping that he will keep playing all ODI games from now and on. You go, Rehman! Keep it up!!!

i have a few points to make:

1)sami is useless, a bench weakness rather than strength
2)why are they not trying samiullah khan, at the very least he deserves 1 chance, maybe if pakistan win the next game, they could try him in the dead-rubber last game
3) problem with playing specialists like hameed is that players like abdul razzaq and shoaib malik usually bat better
4) afridi has always been the wild card, a risk, and every one knows it, he only plays better when assured of a place; brought back now, he will do even worse cuz of the pressure of keeping his place
5) pakistan should definately play 4 batsmen, 1 keeper, 2 allrounders and 4 batsmen (maybe 3 allrounders and 3 batsmen if u get akmal and afridi or akmal and hafeez to open--(our opening fails no matter who u try anyways)

AA
Don't quite agree with you on N. Rana. As well as he balled and his better fitness his problem is Gul now after Asif and Shoaib.Let's not even consider Shabbir, Sami...As Sean correctly stated forming and hanging onto a consistent team has been a problem for us. I. Farhat's performance in the 2nd one was mediocre. Would he last against better sides? I'd still opt for S. Butt, Yassir Hamid.. Finally Pakistan must rest S. Afridi.
Regards.

I was surprise to see the bowling of rehman in the last test,in which he finally got the chance to show the talent he got..Although his skills were proven in first class matches but yet he has to do something in international arena which he has shown us in his last two games..After a long time pakistani side have got the good spinners after saqlain and mushtaq ahmed..the duo of pakistani spinners danish and rehman can be very usefull in upcoming world cup..But in onedayers we have to balanced the team with spinners,fast bowler and batsman,in westindies the wickets will support fast bowler and the return of asif and shoaib have strenghted pakistani side..These two fast bowler should be in the first 11..and rehman should be given chance in the side too...but rehman still have to prove that he is potential and consistent and his real ability will be seen in S.africa tour..Anyways hope pakistan do well in upcoming tours!!

...and S. Malik. Indeed, he has been consistent and has been scoring. But he has no finesse. Can Pak afford him at the next WC?

No doubt in ODI Rehman should be picked ahead of Kaneria and Rana ahead of Rao and may be Shabir but for world cup Pakistan must assess the pitches, and they may need to go with more clinical bowlers than going for pace.

Pakistan should once again experiment with Afridi as opener (in WI) and keep bowling to Asif, Gul, and Shabir/Rana supported by Razzaq.

Inform Afridi slogs can make Pak win any match, plus gives leg spin option, since Malik already bowl offspin.

JAVED A. KHAN from MONTREAL, CANADA you cant have all three all rounders in the squad, ODI's are won by batsman, and you can't have afridi open in the world cup unless you're chasing 300+. BTW, no room for Gul in your team.?

-Muhammad Khan-

Shoaib Asif and Shabbir should be out test match bowling attack while gul and rana and nazir should be in the reserves.Bye Bye to Sami for ever.

i certainly think Rana deserves a spot in the playing eleven, the main reason is that he has what international cricket requires, with respect to bowling and batting. He is a good hitter and if he could consistantly bring the ball in to the left hander and out to the right hander at 130k/h than i think thats what Pakistan needs at this time. To me Pakistan pace attack should include Shoaib, Asif, Gul and Rana. As long as the spinners go...i would say shoaib malik and hafeez could do the job if not afridi. so u have 4 speacialist seamers 3 part time spinners and razzaq as a stock bowler...to me who does not deserve a place in the team is Younis Khan. Nothing against Younis bhai but he is a real time test batsman not ODI.

Abdur Rehman was good, but the pitches had incredible nip in them for spinners. I am not convinced he should be in the team. Besides, we know that Ashley Giles is such a great failure for England; why would Pakistan want one?
On the other hnd, too early to judge Rana again. His problem is his inconsistency and insistence to bowl short and faster than he can. These pitches have been bowler friendly, so we would only know whether he has improved when he bowls on slower pitches offering less to the bowler. Good wins nonetheless.

I think Pakistan can have the best team in the world in batting and bowling. The big middle order in Younis, Yousuf, and Inzi are probably the best middle order in the world. Farhat should open because he has had some form of late. Hafeez is an excellent choice because he is a very smart batsmen and a pretty good spinner. Malik and Kamran should me powering our middle order, and last but not least in our tail we should have, Shoabi, Asif without a doubt. Either Rehman or Danish for our spinner, and for our final bowler you could really put anyone in there. Gul, Rao, Rana, Shabbir Ahmed, Shaid Nazir has been impressive, and yes even the faltering Mohammed Sami. Afridi and Razzaq have both had their chances and their is no room for players like them in a team such as Pakistan. . Pakistan i believe are now serious contenders for the world cup even if they are (God Forbid) plagued with injuries.

I would rather pick Danish Kaneria instead of Abdul Rehman.... coz he scores ahead in terms of much more experience....

As for Shoaib.. Donno why people are so much against him all the times... Its the PCB mistake too in handling him poorly all these years, But i really feel if people give him respect and responsbility... The biggest proof is when he was made Vice Captain for the only time..
In the home series against South Africa.... where he bowled his heart out and was the leading wicket taker on those dead tracks of ours...
So after all that he has gone through i really feel he will be different this time....
Razzaq and Afridi should be reminded to earn their places in the team through sheer hard work not by the talent stories about them..

the most dissappointing thing is about Shoaib Malik.. He's not just performing the way we all expect of him... Perhaps its coz he did so well at the number 3 slot.. now that has been taken away... I hope he makes it for the number 6 slot..
he's a very utility player... we need someone sensible like him at number 6 who can not only graft his innings when needed and also tear any attack apart if the need arises...

Go Shoaib .. its now or never....

Good to see Pakistan taking an unbeatable 2-0 lead in the ODI series. We did the same agaimst England in England before throwing it all away. I am sure we won't do that this time around though.

Very happy to see Rana among the wickets. He was short of confidence when he returned from injury and had a poor ODI series in England and then the Champions Trophy in India. Our fast bowling depth looks good now. Shoaib, Asif, Gul, Rana, Shabbir, Sami, Nazir...and the list continues. Nice to see Farhat and Hafeez being given an extended run. I am sure Afridi will make the World Cup squad---whether he fits in the starting line up remains to be seen.

No more controversies please.

Kamran Abbasi never said sami is a great bowler or he will play in the playing xi. he just said he is part of what is a good bench. shoaib went on to take steroids etc. sami can still bowl. he is better backup than what a lot of countries have.

kamran what do you think will be made of shahid afridi with the supposed rise of rehman...and the fact that hafeez/malik are also back up bowlers? im sure he`ll return but at whos expense...and can he really get his batting rhythm back?

It's a little too early to talk about Rana-Naveed reaching his top form, We still cant say that. But as far as his confidence remains high and he keeps on getting the Support he needs from Waqar Younis, i definatley think that with the return of Shoiab , and Asif Pakistan do stand in one of the top contedendors of the world cup along with Austrila.

I think the real good news for pakistan squad is invention of a left arm spinner which have given Pakistan bowling attack more variety because we had good fast bowlers and Danish Kaneria who is a better player for test matches not for ODI,s.but now we have a good spinner for ODI,s also.If i had been slector my choice would be Shoaib,Asif,Umer,Rehman,Razzaq,S Malik,Hafeez,Kamran,Farhat,Younis,Yousuf and Inzmam.What do you say?

Well you guys have got alot of kool comments in regards to players and the whole team settings. But, I am sure that Bob, the coach, has a better reasoning behing this odd combination of batting order as well as bowling order.
I think after all it will end up being the best (possible) 11 players out of the whole sack. And evidently they have got to perform well enough to be the best top 11 players.
So we have got to have faith in the coach and the captain. I am sure they will know when the time is right, who to choose and who to leave!!
And I believe in the end all it matters is who wins the game, regardless of their players combination.
I mean this is how we play anyother sport and I am sure that its the same in the game of cricket (as my understanding). We thought without Shaq Lakers will die!!!!! but it didnot realy happen we still have got Kobe and some other kool interesting players..So we still support LAKERS regardless..
So you guys should also support your team as they want to win and that has to be doe by the best possible combination of 11 players!!

I agree with Kamran that in the two games of the series thus far, Rana and Rehman have been the difference for Pakistan. But let's not forget that it's just that -- TWO GAMES. The West Indian batsman aren't the best players of spin bowling, and Rana got some help because in the time between the Test and ODI sereis the Pakistani curators got divine revalations on how to make sporting pitches.

For now, I think Rana needs to keep up the good work, Umar Gul should be prepared and trained to become the permanent spearhead (Shoaib is on his last leg anyway, so Gul is going to be at least one half of our new ball attack), and Rehman needs to do more to make him an automatic selection. He has had a commendable start though.

And let's not start relying on a Shoaib and Asif return just yet, there are MANY possible twists in the story. They still need to survive a potential appeal from WADA - which is become extremely likely after the Nasim Ashraf revalations, and they need to pass PCB and ICC dope tests before the World Cup (your guess is as good as mine).

Well dont waste Afridi. He was doing so well
early in the inings no matter what type of wickets but his bating positioned was changed. Anyway he should play early in the inings like 1,2 or 3 or at the most 4. He is much more capable bowler then thopught of he can take wickets also. In test his record has been neck to neck with kaneria. Even in test matches instead of kaneria chance should be given to Mansoor Mmjad who at occasions has shown that he is as capable as kaneria if not more and then batting ability is a plus. Hos come waqar is not working as hard on Mohhamad Irshad as Imran worked on him. Shoaib is leaving in a year or so we need another speedster Irshad is good if waqar can teach him the swing.

well Pak against Australia? I won't bet money on that still.It's wishful thinking!
we need solid batting lineup and what do we have at our hands?
Openers:Imran Farhat: loose,unreliable,rash player whose technique and temperament will be exposed in SA in due course.
Mohd Hafeez: I think he's a professional batsman and will get better with time.He needs time out there.
Middle Order: the mighty middle order who hs been doing so well over the last 2 years.well you cant win against Australia nd even SA without all atleast 3-4 of your specialist bastmen performing really well.Only middle order is not the solution.
I am still not sure about Younis Khan.He's not an ODI batsman and has a paltry record for a NO:3 proved by a couple of hundreds only in so many games.
Dilemma of Bowlers: I think there shouldn't be ny question about Umar Gul.He had been simply outstanding.He delivered when it was needed the most in tough conditions and he is still improving. Truly professional attitude.
Asif is probably the most exciting bowling find since Waqar Younis.So the top3 bowling slots should go to Shoaib,Asif and Gul.Pakistan needs one more bowler who can deliver 10 overs and still can take wickets.On tht slot I would prefer Afridi over Razzak.Afridi has the expereince nd mental strength of playing in big matches against big teams.I think he should be playing as an opener and Shoaib malik at no:3.This would probably leave younis out of the ODI squad which I guess we can afford.
I am really surprised to see Kamran Akmal playing at no:3.Not his place by any means.He should b playing at lower down.
Rana will be good for bench strength as well as AbdurRehman.
Finally, a word about Sami.can we please stop talking about that great waste? he has had enough chances and he failed to raise himself on numerous occassions.
I would be really happy if we would make it to the semi-finals even let alone talking about AUSSIES yet with out so unprofessional approach to the game.
we have sacrificed every other single game for cricket proven by pathetic performance in the ongoing Asian games.still we are not even the best in that.same story for Pakistan.

I think Farhat did a lot of mistake, and his 58 runs innings is full of follies. It was only the luck that he surivived. I am uanable to understand the criteriea of team selection. On the one hand they omit Afridi and on the other hand gining chances to Farhat. If we have to won the world cup or atleast to compete in an honourable way we should include Afridi in the Squad.

If Rehman is selected for the SA tour and performs well, then Afridi's place will be in question, despite the fact that Afridi can be quite useful on the field in terms of bowling and fielding. The difference is, Rehman has sh