Stand-in captain Shahid Afridi believes Pakistan’s abysmal performance in their 3-0 rout by Australia will hurt the team’s chances at next year’s World Cup.
Pakistan spurned a good chance of salvaging some pride in the third and final one-dayer on Sunday, losing by one run in the final over in Abu Dhabi.
Needing just two to win in the 50th and final over, Pakistan lost Sohail Tanvir (10) to off-spinner Glenn Maxwell’s second ball and then Mohammad Irfan (0) off the last.
Photo: AFP
Afridi said Pakistan cannot go into the World Cup in February and March in Australia and New Zealand with such performances.
“If we are not able to win on these pitches then we have to think we can’t go into the World Cup with these performances,” Afridi said.
Pakistan have now lost five straight one-dayers after losing the last two in a 2-1 defeat in Sri Lanka in August.
Afridi said the batsmen once again spoiled good work by the bowlers, who kept Australia down to 231-9 in 50 overs.
“If you look overall we have spoilt the good work of the bowlers,” Afridi said of the attack, with paceman Sohail Tanvir taking 3-40 and himself finishing with 2-44.
“On this pitch it looked as if they will get 280-plus. We managed to keep them down to 231, but from the Twenty20 game to the third one-dayer our problem has been a lack of partnerships. When we build a partnership our wickets start to fall,” said Afridi, who is Pakistan’s Twenty20 captain.
Pakistan lost the only Twenty20 which preceded the one-day series by five wickets in Dubai.
On Sunday, Pakistan were without regular one-day captain Misbah-ul-Haq, who opted to rest because of a poor run of scores.
“The Pakistan captaincy is not an easy job,” Afridi said when asked why Misbah stepped aside. “It was Misbah’s own decision to rest.”
When asked would he like to continue the one-day captaincy until the World Cup, Afridi said: “I think whoever is captain, Misbah or me, we should know about it. If I am to captain in the World Cup, then I should know about it.”
Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Shaharyar Khan said it will be up to Misbah to decide whether or not he wants to lead Pakistan at the World Cup, but that the board has already started considering other options.
Meanwhile, Australia returned to the top of the one-day international rankings following the series win, the International Cricket Council said yesterday.
Additional reporting by Reuters
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