A veteran of 26 Tests and 18 ODI games, thirty-three year old Pakistan batsman Faisal Iqbal spoke to PakPassion.net about Pakistan's current progress in the 2015 World Cup and specifically about the importance of batting strategies in the first ten overs, Sarfraz Ahmed's encouraging return to the team and his views on Umar Akmal and Sohaib Maqsood's worrying lack of form.
PakPassion.net : How difficult is the road ahead for Pakistan in the 2015 World Cup and how should Pakistan be approaching the upcoming games?
Faisal Iqbal : I believe that given the positive results of the previous games, Pakistan needs to build on the momentum and convincingly win the next game against Ireland. This will give the team more confidence in their abilities which will be of real help when Pakistan hopefully qualify for the Quarter Final stage. As we know, that the Quarter Final will be a do-or-die situation so it’s important that we gather as much confidence and positive points for both bowlers and batsmen when we go into the later stages of this tournament.
PakPassion.net : The current state of the Pakistani batting must be of some concern to you?
Faisal Iqbal : The Pakistan top order has struggled a lot during this World Cup. It has failed to fire on all cylinders but the introduction of Sarfraz Ahmed seems to have instilled new energy in our batting as we have now been provided a good start to the innings. A lot has been expected of Ahmed Shehzad as a senior opener but he has so far disappointed everybody. One hopes that in the upcoming matches, he will rise to the occasion and play his role. If Sarfraz and Ahmed can provide the team with a good start then the players coming after them will be able to perform their tasks with ease. So, the batsmen who come in during the last 10-15 overs will get a great platform to launch their attack on the opposition.
Simply speaking, we will have the best chance to get to high scores as long as our lower order is exposed to the bowling at later stages of the innings. As we have all seen, the teams that have been able to cash-in on the first 10 overs are the ones which are setting big targets or chasing big totals. If our top order batsmen capitalize on the fielding restrictions in the first 10 overs, then we are pretty much set for a 300+ score.
PakPassion.net : Is the first ten over period just a case of survival to preserve wickets or should we be looking to score big in those overs?
Faisal Iqbal : I believe that in all eras of ODI cricket, batsmen have sought to make use of the fielding restrictions and score as many runs as possible during that initial period of play. In the 1996 World Cup where the fielding restrictions lasted till the 15th over, we had Sanath Jayasuriya and Romesh Kaluwitharana making use of the these rules and putting on big scores and that helped their team to lift the World Cup.
And so is the case in this World Cup where most of the top teams like Australia and New Zealand are making use of these field restrictions and their batting performance are there for all to see. I will say again, teams which are able to put good scores in the first 10 overs are the ones with the best chances of big totals. Based on this strategy, it appears that even 300 or 350 cannot be considered a safe total, unless a team has an exceptional bowling attack to back that target.
PakPassion.net : Do you feel that Pakistan has that kind of a bowling attack at the moment which can challenge the best teams in the World Cup?
Faisal Iqbal : We are fortunate that based on the game against South Africa, we seem to have the right combination as far as the team and bowling in particular is concerned. This was a concern prior to the South Africa game but if I were to put a number on it, I would say we are 90% complete in terms of a perfect combination. This will need to be further refined in the game against Ireland. The team management should use this game to finalize and refine their strategy for the games that will follow once and if Pakistan qualify for the Quarter Finals stage.
PakPassion.net : Have you been disappointed with the performance of Sohaib Maqsood?
Faisal Iqbal : There really is no question mark on Sohaib Maqsood’s potential as a player for Pakistan. However, performance in international cricket is the key indicator of how well this potential can be put to good use. Unfortunately, so far he has not been able to produce the performances that were expected of him. One can only hope that he is able to fulfil the expectations that Pakistan supporters have of him. If he is given another chance and is able to perform then that will provide a great platform for Pakistan to make big totals. The fact is that it’s events like the World Cup where a player can become a hero or a villain forever based one or two performances. Sohaib has a chance to become a hero for Pakistan and set the tone for his career as well.
PakPassion.net : How impressed are you with Sarfraz Ahmed’s comeback or role in this Pakistan team?
Faisal Iqbal : The restoration of balance in the team is clearly visible with Sarfraz’s return. Everyone was of the opinion that after Mohammad Hafeez’s departure due to injury, Sarfraz Ahmed and Ahmed Shehzad would have formed the ideal opening partnership and if this had happened, we may well have been in a different standing in the World Cup at this stage. However, the past is the past and what matters is that we now have the right combination. If these two can continue their successful partnership in the upcoming games against Ireland and hopefully beyond, then the correct utilization of the first 10 overs will start to become a reality for Pakistan. Both Sarfraz Ahmed and Ahmed Shehzad are attacking players and their combination will be excellent for Pakistan at the beginning of the innings.
PakPassion.net : Do you see a role for Yasir Shah in the current World Cup squad?
Faisal Iqbal : It has always been my policy as a captain to play a leg-spinner in my team, regardless of the format of the game. This is one type of bowler who, if used correctly and bowls well, can put established batting line-ups on the back-foot. In regards to Pakistan, we are now at a point where we are in a knock-out situation and Yasir hasn’t played too many games. The team management has to carefully assess his levels of confidence. I believe an experienced person like Mushtaq Ahmed is ideally suited to take that decision as he is closest to the team and can judge leg-spinners well. Mushtaq’s judgement on this issue will be vital.
PakPassion.net : Umar Akmal was supposed to have played a key role in this World Cup for Pakistan. Why has he not been able to fulfil this expectation?
Faisal Iqbal : I believe that Pakistan will need to choose from two of Haris Sohail, Sohaib Maqsood and Umar Akmal for their middle order batting lineup. So Umar Akmal has to think carefully here. He is the senior most amongst these three batsmen and I really want him to put his head down and start working to make a difference and respond to his critics with his performance alone.
He is not a new player and we have all spoken about his potential. He has been playing for Pakistan since 2009 and has since played 109 ODIs and it’s time for him to play a big innings and aim for consistent performances. He really needs to come up with a good performance now and he should be replaced if he cannot achieve that goal. It's time for Umar Akmal to stop blaming others for his plight and to perform on the field and deliver for Pakistan.
PakPassion.net : How difficult is the road ahead for Pakistan in the 2015 World Cup and how should Pakistan be approaching the upcoming games?
Faisal Iqbal : I believe that given the positive results of the previous games, Pakistan needs to build on the momentum and convincingly win the next game against Ireland. This will give the team more confidence in their abilities which will be of real help when Pakistan hopefully qualify for the Quarter Final stage. As we know, that the Quarter Final will be a do-or-die situation so it’s important that we gather as much confidence and positive points for both bowlers and batsmen when we go into the later stages of this tournament.
PakPassion.net : The current state of the Pakistani batting must be of some concern to you?
Faisal Iqbal : The Pakistan top order has struggled a lot during this World Cup. It has failed to fire on all cylinders but the introduction of Sarfraz Ahmed seems to have instilled new energy in our batting as we have now been provided a good start to the innings. A lot has been expected of Ahmed Shehzad as a senior opener but he has so far disappointed everybody. One hopes that in the upcoming matches, he will rise to the occasion and play his role. If Sarfraz and Ahmed can provide the team with a good start then the players coming after them will be able to perform their tasks with ease. So, the batsmen who come in during the last 10-15 overs will get a great platform to launch their attack on the opposition.
Simply speaking, we will have the best chance to get to high scores as long as our lower order is exposed to the bowling at later stages of the innings. As we have all seen, the teams that have been able to cash-in on the first 10 overs are the ones which are setting big targets or chasing big totals. If our top order batsmen capitalize on the fielding restrictions in the first 10 overs, then we are pretty much set for a 300+ score.
PakPassion.net : Is the first ten over period just a case of survival to preserve wickets or should we be looking to score big in those overs?
Faisal Iqbal : I believe that in all eras of ODI cricket, batsmen have sought to make use of the fielding restrictions and score as many runs as possible during that initial period of play. In the 1996 World Cup where the fielding restrictions lasted till the 15th over, we had Sanath Jayasuriya and Romesh Kaluwitharana making use of the these rules and putting on big scores and that helped their team to lift the World Cup.
And so is the case in this World Cup where most of the top teams like Australia and New Zealand are making use of these field restrictions and their batting performance are there for all to see. I will say again, teams which are able to put good scores in the first 10 overs are the ones with the best chances of big totals. Based on this strategy, it appears that even 300 or 350 cannot be considered a safe total, unless a team has an exceptional bowling attack to back that target.
PakPassion.net : Do you feel that Pakistan has that kind of a bowling attack at the moment which can challenge the best teams in the World Cup?
Faisal Iqbal : We are fortunate that based on the game against South Africa, we seem to have the right combination as far as the team and bowling in particular is concerned. This was a concern prior to the South Africa game but if I were to put a number on it, I would say we are 90% complete in terms of a perfect combination. This will need to be further refined in the game against Ireland. The team management should use this game to finalize and refine their strategy for the games that will follow once and if Pakistan qualify for the Quarter Finals stage.
PakPassion.net : Have you been disappointed with the performance of Sohaib Maqsood?
Faisal Iqbal : There really is no question mark on Sohaib Maqsood’s potential as a player for Pakistan. However, performance in international cricket is the key indicator of how well this potential can be put to good use. Unfortunately, so far he has not been able to produce the performances that were expected of him. One can only hope that he is able to fulfil the expectations that Pakistan supporters have of him. If he is given another chance and is able to perform then that will provide a great platform for Pakistan to make big totals. The fact is that it’s events like the World Cup where a player can become a hero or a villain forever based one or two performances. Sohaib has a chance to become a hero for Pakistan and set the tone for his career as well.
PakPassion.net : How impressed are you with Sarfraz Ahmed’s comeback or role in this Pakistan team?
Faisal Iqbal : The restoration of balance in the team is clearly visible with Sarfraz’s return. Everyone was of the opinion that after Mohammad Hafeez’s departure due to injury, Sarfraz Ahmed and Ahmed Shehzad would have formed the ideal opening partnership and if this had happened, we may well have been in a different standing in the World Cup at this stage. However, the past is the past and what matters is that we now have the right combination. If these two can continue their successful partnership in the upcoming games against Ireland and hopefully beyond, then the correct utilization of the first 10 overs will start to become a reality for Pakistan. Both Sarfraz Ahmed and Ahmed Shehzad are attacking players and their combination will be excellent for Pakistan at the beginning of the innings.
PakPassion.net : Do you see a role for Yasir Shah in the current World Cup squad?
Faisal Iqbal : It has always been my policy as a captain to play a leg-spinner in my team, regardless of the format of the game. This is one type of bowler who, if used correctly and bowls well, can put established batting line-ups on the back-foot. In regards to Pakistan, we are now at a point where we are in a knock-out situation and Yasir hasn’t played too many games. The team management has to carefully assess his levels of confidence. I believe an experienced person like Mushtaq Ahmed is ideally suited to take that decision as he is closest to the team and can judge leg-spinners well. Mushtaq’s judgement on this issue will be vital.
PakPassion.net : Umar Akmal was supposed to have played a key role in this World Cup for Pakistan. Why has he not been able to fulfil this expectation?
Faisal Iqbal : I believe that Pakistan will need to choose from two of Haris Sohail, Sohaib Maqsood and Umar Akmal for their middle order batting lineup. So Umar Akmal has to think carefully here. He is the senior most amongst these three batsmen and I really want him to put his head down and start working to make a difference and respond to his critics with his performance alone.
He is not a new player and we have all spoken about his potential. He has been playing for Pakistan since 2009 and has since played 109 ODIs and it’s time for him to play a big innings and aim for consistent performances. He really needs to come up with a good performance now and he should be replaced if he cannot achieve that goal. It's time for Umar Akmal to stop blaming others for his plight and to perform on the field and deliver for Pakistan.
to Faisal Iqbal
