Pakistan interim coach Aqib Javed expressed his confidence in the national team’s ability to defend the ICC Men’s Champions Trophy title as they host the prestigious tournament next month.
Aqib, while speaking on the recent episode of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Podcast, shared that the upcoming tri-nation series against South Africa and New Zealand will help the management and selection committee in making decisions for the eight-a-side tournament teams.
He further emphasized that the Green Shirts can benefit from the conditions at home and successfully defend the prestigious title, which they won under the leadership of batsman Sarfaraz Ahmed in 2017, by defeating arch-rivals India in a one-sided final.
“Tri-nation (series) before the Champions Trophy is a good opportunity and it is against big teams. South Africa is a top team after New Zealand. So, it will help clear up some doubts when making a decision,” said Aqib.
“Champions Trophy in Pakistan, in front of our fans, we are very excited and I think Pakistan can repeat that. We are still the current champions,” he added.
Aqib then shared his plans to expand the player pool in a bid to ensure a rotation policy for domestic players and also to develop separate teams for different formats.
“The way cricket is evolving, we will have to increase our number of players. To do this, sometimes you have to make courageous decisions,” said Aqib.
“You can’t carry a player for 12 months. Therefore, we have to develop not entirely but to some extent different red-ball and white-ball cricket teams so that the players remain updated and interested.
“So the gaps are essential and I realized that when players get in the mood for the game, they don’t even have time to improve their personal skills; whether physical or technical.
“The effort would be to give them four to six weeks of rest after three months so they can hone their skills and regain fitness, because our focus is how to keep them at the top for 10 to 12 years.”
