LAHORE: Pakistan cricket coach Mickey Arthur is confident new players willgrab the opportunity to fill a few available places for the ICC CricketWorld Cup 2019 through the five-match ODI series against Australia startingin Sharjah tomorrow, Friday.
Pakistan have rested six players – captain Sarfaraz Ahmed, Hasan Ali, BabarAzam, Fakhar Zaman, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Shadab Khan – to provide anopportunity to the other leading performers to stake a claim for thetournament to be held in England and Wales from 30 May and 14 July.
Mickey believed it was a well-thought out and a sensible decision.
“We designed this series for our players for the simple fact that we wantto test our best bench players,” said Mickey on Thursday on the eve of thefirst ODI in Sharjah.
“There was planning, sometimes people think that its ad hoc. We want totest our bench-strength so that we could have a look at our final squad andcombination. We know our major players for the World Cup,” he said.
Openers Shan Masood and Abid Ali have been prolific scorers in domestic and“A” series, while batsman Saad Ali scored 900 plus runs in the 2017-18first-class season.
Paceman Mohammad Abbas is an established Test spearhead who has the knockof doing well in limited overs as well. Rookie 18-year-old Mohammad Hasnainhas impressed with his pace in the recently concluded HBL Pakistan SuperLeague.
Middle-order batsman Umar Akmal has also been recalled after impressingwith his match fitness in the HBL PSL.
“After this series, we go to England and there we go with a very verysettled squad and the roles will be defined. We want to know where thesquad stands. We felt that we have done everything possible to be the bestpossible prepared team for the World Cup,” he added.
Pakistan also plays five one-day internationals against England before the10-team mega event.
Mickey believes trying new players will help in long term.
“For us, it isn’t so much about Australia, this is about us and thosepositions for the World Cup and the opportunity created for a lot ofplayers because for us, we need to find who our players are for everyposition.”
“If we could do that out of this series, then it would be good for us.”
“To be honest, it’s a new squad. This is a series of opportunities. Youdon’t have to be a rocket scientist to work-out that a few positions areavailable for the World Cup. There are probably four available.Inzamam-ul-Haq and I have discussed that. So, these young players need toraise their hands up and try make those places their own. It’s an excitingtime going into the World Cup,” he asserted.
Mickey backed the decision to rest skipper Sarfaraz Ahmed and five others.
“Sarfaraz needs rest,” said Mickey of the skipper of Pakistan across allthree formats.
“As do Babar Azam and all the guys that are resting. I was telling theAustralian boys we have been in the hotels since 12 September. (if) we justkeep playing our guys, they gonna get injured and fatigued.”
“We will have a series in England, which will give us a perfect preparationfor us going into the World Cup and we would have been silly not to usethis series as a rest going into the biggest challenge, the World Cup.”
Mickey, who also coached South Africa and Australia, believes Australia area resurging side after a turbulent period in the wake of last year’s balltampering episode.
“Australia are a fantastic side and they have bubbled away, they have gonethrough much publicised crisis and they seem to be playing some very goodcricket at the moment,” he said.
“To win the series from 0-2 down was a fantastic achievement,” said Mickeyof Australia’s 3-2 ODI series win in India before this tour. “They have gotsome fine players, (Usman) Khawaja is in good nick, Pat Cummins is in goodnick.”
“They have some good young guys. I am sure they will rotate their playersthrough the series as they also need their major players firing.”