Fast-bowling all-rounders are a rare commodity, when it comes to the Asian countries alone. India has been trying to find the replacement of Hardik Pandya for a long time, and might have long run with Nitish Kumar Reddy; Pakistan practically has none, except for Faheem Ashraf, whose returns in the format aren’t the best. Their coach Mike Hesson is on the lookout for their ‘own Hardik Pandya’, for the World Cup 2027 — that is scheduled to begin in October next year.
Pakistan search for pace-bowling all-rounder
Hesson added that training camps and domestic cricket are being used to identify potential talent, for this very specific role. “We’re waiting for somebody to put their hand up,” Hesson was quoted as saying by Cricinfo. The World Cup is to be held in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia, where a seam-bowling all-rounder option could change the fortunes of the team.
Hesson demands for consistent cricket
But having said that, the coach also wants to work on the mental toughness of the side, who have been struggling in the last few editions of the ICC events. In fact, in the last 6 editions of the 50-over World Cup, they have only been able to make the semis, once. That just shows that their brand of cricket has been quite ineffective. He also admitted, that progressing beyond the group stage could be tough, albeit indirectly.
“Like any team, we arrive at a World Cup and we’re trying to win the World Cup. We’re no different. But we know in order to do that, we have to play consistent cricket throughout to be able to qualify past the group stage,” he said. “Every team I’ve been with and every team that’s been successful hasn’t ever thought too far ahead. You can’t win the World Cup before you play your first game. But our expectations are no different than anyone else.”
The Pakistani ODI side is ranked 5th in the world, and is considerably low on points when compared to India, who top the charts with 121 points. In the last WC too in India, they bowed out in the league stages itself.
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