Former Pakistan skipper Rashid Latif said that Asian countries, including India and Pakistan, will struggle to match the power-hitting skills of other nations. Latif said that matching nations like England, Australia and New Zealand pose a challenge for the Asian countries in the ICC ODI World Cup 2023. The former Pakistan cricketer was in a conversation with the Cricket Baaz YouTube channel on August 16, Wednesday.
In the interview, the former wicketkeeper batter said, “The one area where I feel Asian teams will struggle to match these sides are particularly in the middle overs when a fast strike rate is required even in 50-overs. The English, Australian and New Zealand batters have turned to reverse sweep and switch shots against the spinners into something very lethal nowadays.”
Latif added, “A bowler like Adil Rashid or someone like Moeen Ali buy their wickets whereas our spinners focus more on economical bowling. This will be one of the most closely contested World Cups and I don’t see Asian teams getting any extra edge because it is being held in India.”
India would have been 100 per cent ready for the World Cup: Rashid Latif
Latif, who was a part of the 1996 and 2003 World Cups, also added that had India allowed Virat Kohli to continue as captain, they would have been 100% ready for the tournament. The 54-year-old added, “If they had allowed Virat Kohli to continue as captain, India would have been 100 per cent ready for the World Cup by this time.”
He also pointed out India's struggle to find a reliable number 4 batter lately with KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer getting injured. The 54-year-old went on to say, “Indian team management has experimented with several players and if I talk about their batting the middle and lower order say from 4 to 7 they just have not allowed any new player to settle down with frequent changes. I say risky because KL and Iyer are returning from injuries.”
