"No Clear Favourites at the Asia Cup" - Imran Farhat by PakPassion.Net

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Player:

Imran Farhat

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DateLine: 11th June 2010

 

Imran Farhat is fondly remembered for being one half of a world-record breaking opening partnership with the outstanding achievement of making 4 consecutive 100-run opening stands against New Zealand, alongside Yasir Hameed.

 

PakPassion.net caught up with the talented left-hander from Lahore, as he prepared for the upcoming Asia Cup and tour of England.

 

Fielding has been a perpetual problem for the Pakistan team, and that was certainly not lost on Imran. "We focused heavily on our ground fielding and catching in the training camp, the coaches have made us work very hard on that aspect of our game. Other areas were also worked on, but we made a concerted effort on our fielding."

 

When asked about Pakistan's chances in the Asia Cup, Imran was quietly confident. "I'm really looking forward to the tournament, especially the match against India on the 19th June. Sri Lanka and India are 2 very strong teams, and even Bangladesh cannot be written off either as they are dangerous opponents. The Asia Cup is wide open, I believe there are no clear favourites, and any of the teams can win it, it’s the team that plays the most consistent cricket that will lift the trophy. There should be some good contests in Sri Lanka, and Inshallah we will do our best to bring the title back to Pakistan. Also by hopefully lifting the Asia Cup Trophy, it would act as a huge morale boost before the team reaches England".

 

When questioned about the upcoming the tour of England, Imran stated "I am really looking forward to the tour of England; I hope the selectors give me the opportunity to play against two very fine sides (England and Australia)."

 

The 28 year old from Lahore, who has 3 Test 100s to his name and a test batting average of just under 34, gave further insight when he added, "The key to Pakistan's performance in the test series’ in England will be how the batsmen fair against the English and Aussie bowlers. Our bowling attack is capable of taking 20 wickets in Tests, but we batsmen need to support them by putting consistent scores on the board".

 

Farhat, along with fellow left-hander and recently appointed vice-captain Salman Butt will certainly shoulder a lot of responsibility in a batting lineup that will undoubtedly miss the experience of Mohammad Yousuf. Pakistani fans will hope that Farhat finally starts to provide some consistency rather than just occasional flashes of brilliance.

(Article: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author only.
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