Team must improve fielding, says Shafqat
Bureau Report

LAHORE—National cricket selector, Shafqat Rana has called upon the members of the Pak cricket team to improve their fielding to put up a better performance in remaining two matches of the one-day series in India.
“The fielding lapses were the key reasons for our loss in the third ODI and there is dire need to improve in this department”, he told APP here on Tuesday.
Rana said team is showing contracting performance in the ongoing series, sometimes chasing impossible total and some times going down while being on path of victory and this trend should not be followed in remaining matches to achieve favourable results.
He said fielding has been a department which has let the team down in the past and still the team was facing the same problem.
“Even if you hire world’s best coaches and there is no personal interest in the players to better their fielding they cannot improve, what is needed players own will to do better in fielding”, he said.
Rana said the team has the potential to chase big total the way it did in the second match and it failed to accomplish a similar task in the third match while being on way to success.
“ Players should show consistency because it is the only way to success and team can not depend on a bunch of players to show individual performance to inspire it to victory “, he said.
The national selector said express bowler Shoaib Akhtar is in best form and he is an added support to the team.
“ He has returned to competitive cricket in a good way and he is doing good and I think other pace bowlers should follow his example and lift the level of their bowling and spinners too show improvement”, he said adding “Utilising spinners in the third ODI on some occasions was not ideal and spinners should be brought into attack knowing the strength and might of some particular batsmen”.
Rana said when Pak team is on a visit of India the pressure is always on the home team to perform better and touring team despite its loss in the third ODI is still in a position to add to the existing pressure.
“Two matches are yet to be played and one more victory on part of our team can lock the series and then it will not be difficult for them (pak team) to wrap up the series on a victorious note”, he said.
He said wicket keeper Sarfraz Ahmad will be a good replacement of Kamran Akmal and it is an ideal chance for the young keeper to justify his selection by exhibiting an higher level of performance.
“We are infusing young blood in phases and if one reviews the changes made in the past few months it shows our commitment to build the team for future needs”, he said.
“We are blending youth with the experience and in coming home series we will be giving chance to some new faces to continue this practice”, he said.