Aamer Sohail, a member of 1992 World Cup-winning team, tells DNA that despite all the bad news surrounding the controversial team, Pakistan can still win the mega event if they get their act together and play intelligently.
Aamer Sohail has seen it all. From winning the World Cup in 1992 to that famous duel with Venkatesh Prasad in the 1996 World Cup quarterfinal that not only cost the stand-in captain his wicket, but also Pakistan the match. But the stylist left-handed batsmen, who retired from international cricket in 2000, believes that if Pakistan can get their act together and play intelligent cricket, they could surprise all in the coming World Cup.
“If I talk like a lay man then I would obviously not give Pakistan any chance of winning the Cup, but I know that’s not the case,” said Sohail. “It’s just that they need to get their act together and play intelligently. If they do so, they will certainly surprise all the experts.”
The former Pakistani skipper reiterated how Pakistan is known to fire when it comes to the World Cup. “One thing that the present bunch of players should do is forget about the past and try to regroup themselves before the tournament,” said Sohail.
“Look at 1992, when we won the Cup or 1999 when we reached the finals, no one gave us a chance but we played as a team and it was the collective effort that took Pakistan to wins in those tournaments,” he added. “Similarly, now, they should try to formulate a collective plan and not depend on one or two star players since only team effort can take this Pakistani team to greater heights.”
Sohail believes that Pakistan may need to take some unconventional means if they wish to succeed in the tournament. Citing the examples of Imran Khan and Ian Botham from the 1992 World Cup, he said, “I think Abdul Razzaq should bat up the order. Off late he hasn’t been bowling his full quota of overs, so I think Pakistan will be wasting a talent like Razzaq by making him bat at No 7 or 8.” He added, “See in 1992, Ian Botham opened the innings for England and our very own Imran Khan batted up the order in that tournament. So you really need to do something different in such events.”
He also suggested that Shahid Afridi should be bowling in the powerplay overs. “Powerplay is very important period of the game and I think a bowler like Afridi, who bowls wicket to wicket and also can vary his pace, would be an ideal bowler not only to keep a check on the runs, but also pick up early wickets,” he felt.
“Overall I think they should know how to improvise at the given point of time and that is the key to success in World Cup.”
Meanwhile, on the issue of captaincy, Sohail admitted that it was not a good sign that the captain is yet to be announced, but he felt that it was a wake up call for someone like Afridi. “I think, Afridi should take a pro-active role and go and tell his boys that they need to get their acts together and show the selectors that he is the man for the job,” he added.
However, Sohail maintained that if Afridi failed to do so then Misbah-ul-haq could come out as a strong contender to lead
the team.
As far as playing away from home is concerned, it was a boon in disguise since Pakistan will not have the pressure of playing in front of the cricket crazy fans of the country. “But of course I feel bad about the Pakistani people who will miss the chance of watching them live.”
Like most of the cricket experts, even Sohail felt that India looks to be the favourite to win the World Cup right now. “India obviously has the home advantage and the way they have been performing off late surely makes them the favourite. But at the same time they have to ensure that they commit less mistakes as pressure will be on them. And if they can do that then I think they would be unstoppable,” said Sohail.
Talking about his own experience in the two World Cups, he said, “I am proud to be part of the 1992 winning World Cup side. It was a great experience for all of us — the way we played like a team to bring the Cup home. I can never forget that journey Down Under.”
In the 1996 World Cup quarterfinal match in Bangalore, Sohail played down his famous duel with Prasad and said, “India played well on that day and they deserved to win.”
However, Sohail who had to lead the team in that match after Wasim Akram was ruled out due to an injury, has just one regret. “It was the last match of the greatest cricketer Pakistan has produced — Javed Miandad and we could not give him a proper send off by winning the match,” he concluded.
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