Pakistan captain Azhar Ali feels new selection committee and coach will help lift team's performance

In a conversation with AFP on Thursday, the Pakistan ODI captain, Azhar Ali expressed his worry about the current state of Pakistan cricket after his team slipped down to the 9th position in ODI rankings. Any team not included in the top 8 ranks in ODI by 2017, will have to go through the qualifying rounds to play the 2017 World Cup.

The Pakistan cricket team is in one of its worst phases after being ranked 9^th in the latest International Cricket Council ODI rankings which were announced on 4 May, they were previously ranked 8^th

They did not have a good run in the recently concluded T20 World Cup as well, which saw them slip to the 7^th position in the ICC T20 rankings. One positive for Pakistan is that they are ranked third in Tests.

Pakistan will have to be back in the top 8 by 2017, failing which they will have to play the qualifying rounds, for the first time ever. It is quite a task as they face the top teams in the coming season. They are scheduled for a full tour of England in July-September where they will play 4 Tests, 5 ODIs and One T20I.

Next thry play Ireland mid-August, for a 2-match ODI series, before facing Australia in December-January, where they are scheduled to play 3 Tests, and 6 ODIs. The captain, Azhar, claimed that he is positive about the side rising up to its potential in the coming games.

“We are aware of the latest rankings, which are worrying. We know we have to beat top teams to rise in the rankings and we are quite determined to do that.”

We have to beat England and Australia to improve our ranking: Azhar

Pakistan have been on the hunt for a new head coach since Waqar Younis stepped down in April, following an early exit of the team in the T20 World Cup 2016 in India. Ali was hopeful that a new coach, and the new selector- former captain, Inzamam-ul-Haq, would come up with strategies to improve the results for the team.

“I think a new selection committee and a new coach will help plan things and I am optimistic that the boys will lift their performances… which we badly need. For me, our schedule is challenging.

“But we know that beating England and Australia will lift our rankings. England will be tough … We have to be at our best and the only way we can improve our rankings is to beat better and higher-ranked teams,” Ali admitted.

He added that the team often let games slip away from a winning position and to win games you must grab every opportunity.

“If you look at our series in New Zealand (in January) we should have won that, but we slipped from good positions and lost matches,” he said.

Australia currently top the one-day rankings while England are positioned at six.