Sami Aslam turns focus to ICC U19 World Cup

By Ahmed Jutt

KARACHI (TheSportsNext) August 4, 2012: The young opening batsman of Pakistan U19 cricket team, Sami Aslam, said Saturday that after defeating Australia in their backyard his focus was on performing exceedingly well in the upcoming ICC U19 Cricket World Cup.

He was talking exclusively with TheSportsNext here Saturday.

Sami Aslam, who stole the limelight during the recently concluded inaugural U19 Asia Cup with gritty performances, said that the series against Australia was really important in a sense that the team wanted to capture the psychological advantage over the hosts.

“The series also helped our young cricketers to get accustomed to the weather and ground conditions in the Australian stadiums which will help us in the grand youth tournament”, Sami Aslam said.

The 2012 ICC U19 World Cup is starting from August 11 in various grounds of Australia where Pakistan are placed in Group B with New Zealand, Scotland, and Afghanistan. Pakistan will start their world cup campaign with the match against Afghanistan on 11^th August.

When asked about team’s preparations for the tournament, Sami Aslam said, “Our morale is sky-high after series victory against Australia and the way our players have performed on fast pitches clearly shows how well-prepared we are for the big tournament”.

It is important to mention here that Australia are defending their U19 World Cup title this year which it won in 2012 in New Zealand by defeating none other than Pakistan in a hard-fought final.

The 16-year-old opening batsman was of the view that the series against Australia has helped Pakistan taking stock of its weaknesses and strengths. “The way we performed against Australia gives me the impression that we would be able to clinch the U19 title after long time”, he added.

The last time Pakistan won the ICC U19 World Cup title was in 2006 when the Pakistani Colts outplayed Indian youth by 38 runs in the final played in Sri Lanka.

When asked about the possible biggest dangerous sides in the 2012 ICC U19 World Cup, Sami Aslam said, “All the participants are quality sides but India and South Africa are the most dangerous ones but we will consider each match as final and will try to give our best in the field”.

Talking about his personal goals, the aggressive opening batsman said, “I have showed my talent and skills in the U19 Asia Cup but failed to emulate it in the series against Australia. A couple of decisions went against me but I’ve set the target of scoring at least three centuries in the 2012 ICC U19 World Cup”.

“I will try to pour in the biggest share in Pakistan’s success in the tournament but my greater focus is on the collective effort therefore I as well as all the teammates are focusing on teamwork”, he added.

He mentioned that the pitches in Australia are fast and bouncy but Pakistani players are not perturbed by the playing conditions and are capable of scoring runs on any pitch.

Sami Aslam also asked the whole nation to pray for the success of Pakistan U19 cricket team in the 2012 ICC U19 World Cup especially in the holy month of Ramadan.