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Pakistan will miss Shoaib: Rhodes
Pakistan will badly miss the pace and fieriness of Shoaib Akhtar during their forthcoming India tour, according to Jonty Rhodes.
Pakistan will badly miss the pace and fieriness of Shoaib Akhtar during their forthcoming India tour, which is expected to be an "explosive" one, according to former South African cricketer Jonty Rhodes.
"Shoaib is definitely Pakistan's main strike bowler, who with his sheer pace and reverse swing can turn any match around," Rhodes, who is in the city on Saturday to promote tourism as Conservation Corporation Africa's brand ambassador, said.
"Even on Indian pitches, which do not offer much help to pace bowlers, Shoaib would have been lethal, bowling reverse swing at a speed of 160 kms per hour," he said.
It was sad Shoaib will not be playing in India, and Pakistan would definitely miss him as Indians would do if Sachin was not playing, Rhodes said.
"As any Indo-Pak encounter, the forthcoming tour will be an explosive one," he said adding, "for me, Indians with their batting depth and consistency will start off as favourites for the forthcoming India-Pakistan encounter", where Pakistan is slated to play three Test matches and six one-dayers.
"However, Pakistanis have the advantage of playing in Australia as a team," Rhodes claimed adding, "any team which has just finished playing Australia, raises their level."
"Pakistan have improved their game in the one-day tri-series in Australia after losing the Test matches. They also gained experience of playing as a team, facing the media and the spectators, all of which play a part while playing in India," Rhodes said.
"Indians, meanwhile, have not had played any international match since the past two month or so and do not have the advantage of playing as a team," the former cricketer opined.
Talking about South African team's performance, Rhodes said "Our team's performace was affected as Gary Kirsten, Allan Donald and myself retired within a space of one year."
"But now the younger lot are improving and have done well in England," he added.
Dismissing queries regarding "racism" in South African cricket, he said "black players are not being sidelined."
Rhodes also said the new Twenty-20 version of cricket will not replace the one-day format.
