Pakistan's World Cup pool toughest: Akram
Former captain Wasim Akram says Pakistan has been given the toughest pool in the 2003 World Cup to be held in South Africa, reports SADA news agency.
"I think this is the toughest pool ever we had for the World Cup," said
Akram, who played a key role in Pakistan's only World Cup triumph in 1992.
Pakistan is in Pool A of the eighth World Cup, to be held in South Africa in
2003. World champions Australia, England, India, Zimbabwe, the Netherlands
and Namibia will play first round matches alongside Pakistan in the pool.
The Netherlands and Namibia qualified from the International Cricket Council Trophy held in Canada in July.
"Pakistan and Australia played the final of the last World Cup in 1999 so
they should have been in separate pools," he said.
South Africa, the West Indies, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Canada, Kenya and New
Zealand are in Pool B.
Another former Pakistan captain Javed Miandad said he thinks South Africa
will be the favourites to win the Cup.
"Pakistan's pool is tough, but when you play the World Cup, nothing is tough
if you are ready for it," he said.
"When we played the 1992 World Cup, we had to play all the teams in the
league phase and although we were not up to the mark, we recovered in the
later stages to win the Cup," he said.
The Pakistan Cricket Board is working on a pool of 30 players for the 2003
World Cup.
--Indo-Asian News Service
--Indo-Asian News Service
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