Moin: Series in UAE will prepare us well for World Cup

Joy Chakravarty 09:16 02/10/2014
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  • Upbeat: Moin Khan (l) is confident Pakistan can pull off a few surprises.

    Moin Khan, the former Pakistan wicket-keeper and now the chief selector and team manager, believes the upcoming series against Australia and New Zealand in the UAE is the best preparation his team could have got ahead of the 2015 World Cup.

    Pakistan take on Australia in a solitary Twenty20 match (on October 5 at Dubai International Stadium) followed by three ODIs and two Test matches. New Zealand will be up next for five ODIs and three Test matches in November and December.

    The World Cup starts February 14 in Australia and New Zealand.

    And the 43-year-old Moin said: “This is the biggest opportunity for us before the World Cup, because you are playing against two of the toughest sides in the world. So, we are definitely looking forward to win these two series, because if we do, we are going to gain a lot of confidence ahead of the World Cup.

    “For any country, there could be no better preparation than facing two such formidable opponents. This will prepare us mentally for the World Cup. This will also give us a chance to work out various combinations and be set by the time of the tournament.

    “We are also playing a couple of ODIs in New Zealand. I think we are lucky to have such a good schedule before the World Cup.

    “These three months are very important for Pakistan cricket. We are playing in conditions which are very similar to what we get back home, and that is one of the advantages that we going to get against Australia and New Zealand.

    “This is the best bunch that the national selectors have selected for the T20s and the one dayers, now it is up to the players to deliver."

    Khan was part of the Pakistan team under the charismatic leadership of Imran Khan which won the World Cup when it was last held in Australia and New Zealand in 1992. And he believes the current team has the ability to repeat that.

    “It was definitely the greatest memory of my life. I was of a very young age, I was just 21. And there were a few other colleagues in the team who were equally young, and that is the best tournament we ever played,” said Moin, who played 69 Tests and 219 ODIs for Pakistan.

    “But now, as a manager and as the chief selector, I’d definitely love our team to repeat that performance of 1992 for Pakistan.

    “Even though we are playing in Australia and the conditions there are nowhere near to what we have back home or here in UAE, I believe that if the boys can play to their potential, they can give a very hard time to the other teams,” he added.

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