The highly anticipated India-Pakistan showdown is set to take place in New York on Sunday, at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium.
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“…the focus is on the game on June 9 against India. Babar (Pakistan captain) will be under a lot of pressure because of the game against India rather than performing in the World Cup,” the former wicketkeeper-batsman said talking to PTI.
“But he has to learn to carry pressure, he should learn that from Virat and Rohit. They know how to carry the game. As a batter, Babar is one of the best but as a captain and leader, there’s a lot that he needs to learn,” the 55-year-old Latif added.
He mentioned that India have better spinners and, based on their current form, Rohit Sharma’s team are the favorites to win on Sunday.
“Kuldeep Yadav is that one player who, if he remains fit for India throughout the World Cup, can cause trouble for batters. He is India’s key bowler and also a key to success. Given the current form and stats, definitely India have an advantage ahead of June 9,” he said.
Latif also highlighted that Pakistan’s current level of preparedness falls far short of what it was during their strong performances in the 2021 and 2022 editions, when the team reached the finals.
“The Pakistan team plays well in the ICC tournaments but the team doesn’t look as prepared as they were in 2021 and 2022. The damage happened after the last ODI World Cup with changes in captaincy, the selection committee and players,” he explained.
“The team doesn’t know who their openers will be and what they have tried has failed miserably.”
Latif said the decline of Pakistan’s bowling, particularly the pacers, is unfortunate and attributed it to poor fitness.
“A lot of bowlers like Shaheen, Naseem, Rauf, Shadab came back from injury and now Imad Wasim is injured. The biggest issue has been the fitness of the bowlers,” he said.
“Former greats like Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Mohammad Asif were way fitter than them and never used to miss any Tests or ODIs. But these guys, despite playing shorter formats, don’t have adequate fitness,” he added.
“…they bring back Mohammad Amir and Imad Wasim. Earlier when these two bowlers used to play for Pakistan and in the PSL, they used to bowl the early overs between 1-4. Now, Rauf and Shaheen perform the same role. If you have four bowlers with the same role, who will bowl in the middle overs?” Latif questioned.
He went on to compare it with India’s bowling unit.
“Look at India, they have got Kuldeep, Axar, Jadeja and Chahal who can bowl in the middle and also the early overs. Pakistan couldn’t develop Abrar Ahmed much. If Shadab Khan goes for runs in the middle overs, Pakistan doesn’t have a lot of cover,” he said.
Paksitan came into the tournament under new head coach Gary Kirsten, but Latif wasn’t happy with the timing of Kirsten’s appointment.
“The timing of his joining is very wrong. He joined the team on May 19 after the IPL season for Gujarat Titans ended,” Latif pointed out.
“He only knows players by their names, but when you are going to the World Cup, then you need to have spent at least a year with the players. He did not get this time and the Pakistan board is to blame for that,” he said.
Latif went on add a note on Virat Kohli‘s popularity, comparing it to Sachin Tendulkar’s during his playing days.
“Virat has a lot of fans in Pakistan and also the players playing are his fans. Like I also say this (that) whenever Sachin used to play earlier, I never wanted him to get out. The world was paying to watch him bat, but I was sitting behind the stumps and enjoying it for free,” he said.
“Virat Kohli is a different player…Virat is a different player after this IPL…It will be really interesting to see where he bats in this World Cup.”
In India’s opening match in Group A, Kohli came out to open with skipper Rohit. India won the match by eight wickets.
Latif said Babar’s growth as a player and captain depends on having a better team.
“Babar is a great player but doesn’t have a lot of players to support him. Virat definitely has an advantage because the players are around him. But Pakistan lacks that cushion,” he said.
“Babar only has Rizwan and occasionally the support of Fakhar Zaman. Babar’s quality is way above his teammates, and I think this is a disadvantage for him.”
(With PTI inputs)