Pakistan are considering playing wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal as an opener for Saturday's World Cup Group D match against Ireland, coach Bob Woolmer said.
KINGSTON/JAMAICA: Pakistan are considering playing wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal as an opener for Saturday's World Cup Group D match against Ireland, coach Bob Woolmer said.
Pakistan are willing to experiment with their batting line-up after Imran Nazir and Mohammad Hafeez flopped as openers in Tuesday's 54-run defeat by West Indies, scoring six and 11 respectively.
Although Woolmer said it was not fair to judge form after one match, he admitted that other options were being considered to lengthen the batting order.
"Maybe Imran Nazir will continue to open, maybe Kamran Akmal could open and Hafeez will drop down," Woolmer said.
"When Afridi comes back maybe he will open. We have to try and mix and match the team so we have eight batsmen and six bowlers. The point is if you play Kamran in that position we need to fit in one other opener. We have a few different combinations to consider, which we will discuss before the Ireland match," he said.
With all-rounder Shahid Afridi forced to sit out one more match after being handed a four-game ICC ban, and the injured Abdul Razzaq missing, Woolmer admitted the teams' resources were being stretched.
"This is where someone like Razzaq would be good but we can't deal with things we haven't got," Woolmer said.
"I'm sure Shahid would also be useful to us but he cannot play until the Zimbabwe game (on March 21). So we have to deal with the team we have. We are very fluid but most of all we have to make sure that we get our strategies right on the field."
Pakistan's practice session on Thursday was marred when assistant coach Mushtaq Ahmed, a World Cup winner in 1992, was struck by a ball on his nose, which caused a minor fracture and needed two stitches.
He confirmed the injury will not stop him from his job in the Caribbean.
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