"More than half the team must be changed"

by S M August 17, 2009

"Pakistan's performance in Sri Lanka has been absolutely disappointing and I feel that more than 70 per cent of the team should be changed," said former chief selector Abdul Qadir.

"After winning the Twenty20 World Cup, everybody expected Pakistan to come up with an excellent performance against Sri Lanka but they failed miserably in both Tests as well as the one-dayers. And that obviously has raised quite a few question marks in the minds of not only the former players but also the Pakistani public, in general.

"The way they lost a few matches is also questionable. In the first Test, they faltered when only 100 runs were left for victory, then they lost a match in three days. Again in the one-dayers, they lost three games in a row. So, the performance of the team as a whole must to be addressed," said the former player.

"When I was the national selector, I selected Mohammad Aamer, who is doing very well at the moment. And I can speak of at least 3-4 players, who can be considered as great prospects for the national team. So, if Pakistan team wants to do well in future and in the World Cup, then these youngsters should be brought in, instead of sticking to players, who have the reputation but are unable to match it with their performance in the middle."

Qadir said, "I suggested his name long time ago. Now that he has been made the T20 captain, I am sure he is going to do very well."

He clarified, "Neither me nor any other former player made any such allegations. It (match-fixing allegation) all came from the team management itself. We got to know about all these allegations from the media. Hence, I had just said that if there is any kind of speculation then there should an inquiry into it. That's all."

Qadir though maintained, "The Board must look into these allegations and if anyone is found guilty, he should be punished."