Series against Australia would decide Pakistan’s World Cup squad: Arthur

Pakistan cricket head coach Mickey Arthur has expressed satisfaction with his limited-overs side as the World Cup nears.

“I’m very comfortable with where we sit with our white ball cricket, I think we have got the genuine role clarity now, and the clarity around the brand of cricket that we want to play and the people that fit into those roles,” said Arthur.

The head coach said that he wanted his bench strong enough to perform in pressure situations and give them the exposure to international cricket.

Coming to the World Cup, Arthur said that they are preparing very well for the tournament. “First and foremost, the World Cup is the pinnacle for every cricketer. Every cricketer dreams of going to a World Cup and representing his nation there,” he said.

Pakistan will be playing ODIs against Australia and England just ahead of the tournament, whereas the series against Australia coming in later March, would decide the final 15 for the World Cup. “By the end of the Australian series, we are going to have a total clarity, so that’s the team that goes to England is going to be the 15 that will represent Pakistan in their World Cup.”

Arthur said that the management takes results ‘very seriously,’ however, he is comfortable that “the team is building in the right direction” and the results would come off.

Talking about skipper Sarfraz Ahmed, Arthur expressed delight over the clarity over Sarfraz’s captaincy for the World Cup, and praised the wicketkeeper batsman for his leadership. “Sarfraz is a very good captain, no one can doubt his commitment, and no one can ever doubt his passion for the job.”

The head coach, however, said that they would need to work on improving the skipper’s batting, which has lost its flare in recent months.