Every News: Pakistan coach expects seasoned all-rounder to shine in England: Hafeez looks set to regain match fitness

Pakistan coach expects seasoned all-rounder to shine in England: Hafeez looks set to regain match fitness
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KARACHI: As they enter the final leg of their preparations for this summer’s ICC World Cup in England, Pakistan see seasoned all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez as a vital cog in their line-up.That’s why they were delighted to see Hafeez taking part in a full training session for the first time since sustaining a nasty hand injury during a Pakistan Super League (PSL) match in February this year. The injury ended Hafeez’s stint in PSL 4 and also cast a doubt over his participation in the World Cup.However, considering his vast experience the selectors picked Hafeez in the 15-man squad for the World Cup hoping that the 38-year-old will regain full fitness in the lead up to the World Cup which gets underway on May 30.On Thursday at the Beckenham ground in Kent, Hafeez gave the first signs that he was well on the path to full recovery. “Today Hafeez took part in the optional training session. He batted in the nets, bowled and fielded,” a team official told ‘The News’. “He said that he felt good,” the official added.Mickey Arthur, Pakistan’s coach, also expressed his delight over the development.“He (Hafeez) has bowled and fielded well, he is well ahead of where we want him, which is great news, he’s been doing a lot of work so don’t rule out Hafeez in the one-day series,” said Arthur referring to Pakistan’s pre-World Cup limited-overs series against England which begins with a one-off T20 International in Cardiff on May 5. Arthur was pleased with the way his team has been preparing for the series against England which will include five One-day Internationals.“We’ve played a lot of cricket in England and we’re used to the weather and the players acclimatize quickly. Players have been brilliant and our preparations have been outstanding,” he said.Pakistan will begin the tour of England with a practice game against Kent on Saturday (today). “We’re playing our best combination tomorrow, the three quick bowlers and the two spinners plus we bat deep,” he said. “It’s a combination we’ve wanted to start with it gives us the three quick bowlers and the two spinners Yasir and Imad, it’s a great combination, let’s see how this works.”Meanwhile, 12 players turned up for the optional training session on Friday.Held in chilly conditions, the training session saw the trio of Hasan Ali, Faheem Ashraf and Yasir Shah taking part in target bowling. Azhar Mahmood, Pakistan’s bowling coach, made the duo of Faheem and Shaheen Shah Afridi bowl a series of slower deliveries. Imam-ul-Haq and Babar Azam also spent a lot of time in the nets. The players who opted not to attend the training session were Shoaib Malik, Imad Wasim, Harris Sohail and Mohammad Hasnain.“It was our third training session since arriving in England and I must say that the intensity in increasing day by day. All the players are very positive. They know that they are getting ready for an all-important assignment and are giving their best in the training sessions,” a team official said.