Aaqib Javed Questions Hasan Ali's New Ball Role Without Naseem

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Former pacer Aaqib Javed believes that Hasan Ali is not the strongest new ball option when Naseem Shah is not available and that Pakistan's cricket administration made a mistake by failing to develop a great fast bowler for tough situations.

Aaqib is the current fast-bowling coach for PSL team Lahore Qalandars, and he was a key factor in Haris Rauf's development into a proficient white-ball bowler.

"They haven't developed anyone in the past 12 months, if you look at the new ball pairing. Naseem might have been the third new ball bowling option, but the selectors weren't sure if he was. In a conversation with PTI, Aaqib stated, "They didn't try anyone during the Asia Cup.

Pakistan has so far won both of its World Cup games, beating Netherlands in the tournament's opening match and Sri Lanka in Hyderabad. The 344 runs given up in the game against Sri Lanka, though, continue to be a real worry.

"Hasan Ali, if you look at his record, has never been outstanding with the new ball. So, on days, if Shaheen Shah Afridi gets stuck, there could be problems," assessed Aaqib, a key member of the 1992 World Cup winning squad.

For the record, Hasan conceded 71 runs in his allotted 10 overs despite taking four wickets against Sri Lanka. Muhammad Wasim Junior, who is presently seated in the dugout, is the other potential player on the squad.

"If you look at Wasim Junior, there are a lot of games where he hasn't even completed his quota of 10 overs."

Aaqib believes in straight talk and feels that with Naseem ruled out, only Afridi has that aura to scare the daylights out of batters.

"If you remember the opening Asia Cup game and Shaheen's spell, the Indian batters were not playing Shaheen's deliveries but was trying to play Shaheen. That aura...Pakistan's bowling is missing now, that overall impact I would say," said Aaqib, who till date enjoys best bowling figures of 7/33 in the history of Indo-Pak ODIs.

Having worked closely with Rauf, Aaqib feels that his slot in the bowling unit shouldn't be tinkered with.

"Haris is best suited for one change. With his pace, he can control the middle overs and death overs bowling," said Aaqib, who picked 182 ODI wickets for Pakistan.

But Shadab Khan's inconsistent performance in the middle overs, which puts more pressure on Haris, hasn't won Aaqib over. "Shadab must make an impact from the other end as this side's vice-captain. If there is pressure from the opposing side, someone like Haris can get you back in the game if you are under pressure up front."

"Our biggest problem has been the spinners as we don't have too many options in the middle overs," said Aaqib. Aaqib, who could reverse the white ball quite a bit during his time, feels that in this era, the Indian grounds have become far better, and there is very little scope for reverse swing.

"The Indian ground conditions have changed from times we had gone to India. The new stadiums have lush green outfield and pitches aren't as abrasive as it used to be. In these conditions, getting reverse swing isn't an easy thing," he added.

(Inputs from PTI)