SPORTS WORLD: Shoaib, Asif out of World Cup squad: Inzamam worried over team's traditional weaknesses

Pakistan's pace battery has suffered another serious jolt when doping-tainted new ball pace duo Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif were ruled out of the World Cup due to their injuries, which will take at least two weeks to heal.
Already hit hard by the fitness problem of all-rounder Abdul Razzaq, who is also recovering from his knee injury, was replaced by Azhar Mahmood. Disturbed over the situation, chief selector Wasim Bari included fast bowler Mohammad Sami and Yasir Arafat in the team to "strengthen" the fire power.
Shoaib Akhtar is battling with knee and hamstring injury, while Asif has a recurrence of an elbow injury. Besides, the two are yet to clear the doping test ahead of the World Cup.
Moreover, the warning of doping expert Dr Danish Zaheer, who is also Vice-President of the Asian Federation of Sports Medicine, that pacemen Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif could still have banned substances in their blood streams, is also haunting the higher-ups in the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).
Anyhow, it is certain that Pakistan will go into the cricket's biggest event after the Olympic Games and soccer World Cup without Shoaib Akhtar, Mohammad Asif and Abdul Razzaq, starting from March 13 in the Caribbean.
MIANDAD'S VIEWS:
Former captain Javed Miandad has rightly suggested to the team management to devise a new strategy with more spinners. No doubt fast bowlers play a vital role in the one-day cricket, but at the same time spinners, especially the leg spinners' effectiveness on slow and low bounce wickets in the West Indies cannot be under-estimated.
Miandad was of the opinion Pakistan would fare better in the competition with two specialist spinners. "They have leg spinner Danish Kaneria in the side and they should also include left-armer Abdul Rehman was included in the team.
"They can be threatening on slow West Indian pitches," he opined.
Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq, at his press conference on the eve of the team's departure to the West Indies, said with the inclusion of the pace duo, the Pakistan team would be a balanced combination, otherwise it would be an under-strength side.
Worried over the team's traditional weakness in fielding and irresponsible batting by top order batsmen, especially openers, Inzamam said only professional approach to game, which ensured perfection in batting, accuracy in bowling and command in fielding, could lead the team to success. For this, the boys had to make extra efforts to overcome this negative aspect against the world's best teams in the toughest contest.
"We have recently seen New Zealand defeating the mighty Australians, which is a clear example of the fact that a top professional approach is needed to face and undermine opponents," he observed.
He, however, admitted that he could not predict about the victory, and said: "It depends on the fitness level of the players, who have been dogged by injuries and fitness problems."
KANERIA'S SELECTION:
Meanwhile, former captain Imran Khan has welcomed spinner Danish Kaneria to share the burden with Shoaib Malik, Shahid Afridi and Mohammad Hafeez.
Imran Khan, who was very vocal in advocating Kaneria's inclusion in the squad for one-dayers against South Africa, recalled in the 1986 and 1992 World Cups he played with two leg spinners, Abdul Qadir and Mushtaq Ahmed.
He was of the view that on the slow and low pitches of the West Indies, Kaneria, along with Shoaib Malik and Shahid Afridi will certainly deliver.
As regards other top ranking teams like Australia, England, New Zealand, South Africa, India and Sri Lanka, it is believed that both India and Sri Lanka will fully exploit the slow wickets of the West Indies. Pakistan, with a consistent and agility in the field, too, have the ability to fare well on such wickets.
Inzamam's cautious views about the prospects of the team's success in the Cup indicate that he was not fully satisfied with the overall preparation for the mega event, starting in the Caribbean from March 13.
Pakistan will take on the hosts West Indies, who won the first two tournaments in 1975 and 1979, in the opening game on March 13 at Sabina Park. West Indies captain Brian Lara is confident that his team had best chance yet to add a long-awaited third title.
He said: "We have a very good record at home, and the players are really looking forward to this major event. We have a fit team that is ready to go. We have the ingredients to do well," Lara said.
In comparison, Pakistan, who were six months ago among top three favourites to win the Cup, face a host of problems. Besides injury and fitness of key bowlers - Shoaib Akhtar, Mohammad Asif and Umar Gul and now all-rounder Abdul Razzaq, who suffered knee injury - and disciplinary issues with some players, there are reportedly communication gap between captain Inzamam-ul-Haq and the officials of the ad hoc administration of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).
DISCIPLINE, FITNESS ISSUES:
With these crucial issues, one could hardly hope that the team could achieve the desired results.
Besides, the PCB is also disturbed over discipline issue, which was discussed in the recent PCB board meeting and the players were warned to mend their ways.
One may recall that the PCB Chief Patron, President General Pervez Musharraf has repeatedly stressed upon the players to display high standards of discipline and fitness and perform to their potentials to achieve the desired results. But the players never bothered to concentrate on these two basic ingredients of the game.
It is interesting to recall that former South African coach Richard Pybus, in his report to former PCB Chairman Lieutenant General Tauqir Zia (retd) raised various incidents of indiscipline in the team. He was of the view that the players, especially the seniors like Shoaib Akhtar, considered themselves over the PCB code of conduct, badly hampering the coaching process.
ROLE MODEL: The fact is that the captain is a role model for his players, especially for the juniors. There is a perception in the board that no player matches Inzamam's experience, but it is also true that Inzamam was responsible for indiscipline when he led the team protest at The Oval against England in August and refused to continue the Test after umpires penalised him, thus forfeiting the Test to England.
Much has been written and said about the incident and it seems that Pakistan team management and the players have not learnt a lesson. Australia's current woes after a spectacular 3-0 rout by New Zealand were a "wake-up" call for the defending champions, even though are a force to be reckoned with. It is hoped that Inzamam will take a lesson from the Aussies and give best in his, probably last game of his career.
Despite all the weaknesses, including unpredictability and inconsistency, Pakistan are still not out of the race and would prove to be a dangerous side, provided the players played to full potentials. But it all depends on coach Bob Woolmer and Inzamam to take to the field with a proper homework and an aggressive strategy to attack the opponents from the front.