Pakistan men’s cricket team’s head coach Grant Bradburn is aiming for more improvement, specifically in the middle overs ahead of the upcoming ICC Cricket World Cup in India.
Bradburn, while talking to the media on the sidelines of the national team’s training camp for the ODI series against Afghanistan and the Asia Cup spoke about the team’s preparation.
“Cricket is changing rapidly, it’s a dynamic high-scoring game and we are planning according to that, as we want to be at the front and centre at the style of that brand of cricket,” said Grant Bradburn.
“A glimpse of that was seen in the series against New Zealand,” he added.
He emphasized the importance of scoring runs and taking wickets in the middle overs in ODI cricket.
“We are very clear about the fact that we need to score faster in the middle overs. We haven’t been as successful in the middle overs in ODIs as we should have been.
“Not only with the bat but with the ball too, we need to pick more wickets in the middle phase of the innings.
“You saw the way the boys played in Sri Lanka during the Test series. They are looking to play in an aggressive style, and that’s exactly what we demand.
Grant Bradburn also shed light on the dynamics of his relationship with the team director Mickey Arthur.
“Mickey Arthur and I are very good coaching associates and friends for a very long time. We are communicating daily, and he is part of the plan to guide this team in a new direction,” Bradburn added.
“We are looking forward to him [Mickey Arthur] joining us on August 23rd [in Sri Lanka], he will be with us through to the match against India in Kandy. He will later join us for the World Cup in India.”
The head coach also stressed the team is solely focused on the series against Afghanistan.
“We are just thinking about the next week and the next game. The first match against Afghanistan will be very crucial as they are a tough side,” Grant Bradburn said.
Pakistan team is scheduled to play a three-match ODI series against Afghanistan in Sri Lanka on August 22, 24 and 26. The first two ODI will take place in Hambantota, while the third game will be played in Colombo.
The upcoming series is the first bilateral ODI series between Pakistan and Afghanistan. Before that, they played only four ODIs and Pakistan remained unbeaten in all.
Afterwards, the Pakistan team will Pakistan will face Nepal in the curtain raiser of the Asia Cup, starting on August 30 at Multan Cricket Stadium.
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