Pakistan lack game changers of the past: Rahul Dravid

Rahul Dravid

Former Indian Cricket team captain, Rahul Dravid, assesses Pakistan’s chances at the World Cup. However, the absence of match winners in the Pakistan World Cup squad made Dravid fear for their chances at lifting the World Cup.

Dravid also felt that Shahid Afridi’s instinct to swing at everything not help Pakistan.

“They lack those big-ticket players or game changers which you would associate the Pakistani team of the past,” Dravid said.

He continued, “It's almost like when he (Afridi) goes out to bat, there's this red mist that comes over him, he just swings at everything. But I've seen him play a different kind of game. I've seen him play sensibly at times and construct innings. But it just hasn't happened of late for some reason or the other.”

Dravid called Umar Akmal a talented player who can become a fantastic player if he wants to and talked about the respect Misbah-ul-Haq gets from the team.

The 42-year-old said, “If he (Akmal) can turn that obvious ability and become a run-hungry consistent batsman for Pakistan, sure enough he'll find a spot. He could bat at No. 4 consistently, or at 3 or 5, or bat anywhere really if he wants to.

“You can just sense that he (Misbah) has a lot of respect from the players in the team. They respect that he brings that stability to the team. He's been able to work really well with the board and with the coaching staff. And makes the best of the situation he finds himself in. So you can't fault him on his effort and he's trying to do the best that he can,” said Dravid of Misbah.

However, one exclusion, the Indian was disappointed in was of batsman Fawad Alam.

The man who led India in the 2007 World Cup said, “He seems to have a fantastic record, but for some reason they don't seem to pick him. I read somewhere, that they think that his game wasn't going to be good enough in Australian conditions. That's a presumption and they're playing a lot of games in New Zealand.”

Dravid thinks if Pakistan turned back the clock and took inspiration from a similarly young, struggling side that ended up lifting the World Cup in 1992, they could do well in Australia and New Zealand.

He said, “In 1992 also, they started off very badly and they struggled for a while with a similar kind of team in which they had a lot of young players but who later on went to become absolute legends for Pakistan. So Pakistan can only hope that history repeats itself.”