Hopeful of Mohammad Hafeez's bowling action being cleared: Pakistan chief selector Moin Khan
With Saeed Ajmal’s availability for the upcoming 2015 ICC World Cup already up in the air, Pakistan chief selector Moin Khan hoped that all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez, who was reported for a suspect bowling action during the recent 1st Test against New Zealand, would be cleared before the tournament and will be able to bowl during the event.
The former wicket-keeper batsman feels that the Hafeez’s action is within the permissible limit when observed with the naked eye. Pakistan are currently leading 1-0 in the ongoing Test series against the Kiwis.
“With a naked eye one can see no problem in his action and we are hopeful he will be cleared. Even the match officials have just reported four of his deliveries as not being legitimate after the first Test,” he said.
He also added that Hafeez has been working hard on his action ever since he was reported during the Champions League T20 in India in September.
"We have held detailed meetings on this issue and Hafeez himself has already started working on his action and he will do this even when he goes back to Pakistan,” Moin added.
Waqar has created a positive environment: Moin
The 43-year old praised the other players in the team for raising their game in Ajmal’s absence and showing a lot of fight in thier performances. He also complimented the coach Waqar Younis for building a positive atmosphere within the group.
"The good thing is that the other players have responded with a lot of passion and courage and we are seeing the results of this approach in the recent Tests,” he said.
"I would give a lot of credit to head coach Waqar Younis, who is very positive and gives the players a lot of encouragement while making it clear to them they need to now start executing plans on the filed discussed in team meetings.”
Moin was also pleased to see the emergence of a strong pool of talented players, and hopes that they can become a settled outfit before the mega event begins.
"Right now we are focused on the Tests against New Zealand, who have so far played well in the second Test, but our focus will switch to one-day cricket once the Tests are over and we have plenty of matches and time to get our World Cup combination right,” he concluded.