Pakistan coach Aaqib Javed banks on pace trio against India

DUBAI: Pakistan head coach Aaqib Javed on Saturday expressed his faith in the pace trio of Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf, saying it will produce “something very special” in the must-win Champions Trophy clash against India.

Pakistan will be under pressure against India on Sunday given its recent bilateral record and also the fact that Fakhar Zaman — the architect of its win over arch rival in 2017 Champions Trophy final — has been ruled out due to an injury.

“Look, there is no doubt Fakhar is a match winner. Every team actually misses their match winners. But you can’t depend on only one player. We’ll still play as a good, strong team, try to win and try to play good, positive cricket,” Javed told media here on Saturday.

“I’ve heard (that) a lot of discussions (are) going on (that) other teams have too many spinners and we have lesser spinning options. The teams play their game on their own strengths.

“We have like three, I would say, one of the best pace bowling options in today’s game with Shaheen, Naseem and Haris. It reminds me of that 1990s troika (including Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis),” he said.

Javed, however, admitted that the current batch of fast bowlers have a long way to go in order to match the feats of the legendary bowlers.

“I think reaching that level, they still have time, but they have all the ability to repeat those sort of performances. So, (we are) pretty much confident and when you play against India, it’s a special feeling and they will bring something very special,” he said.

It will be a must-win game for Pakistan also because it had lost its tournament opener to New Zealand in Karachi, and a loss on Sunday would severely dent its chances of making the semifinals.

“Look, there is no game you can say you play without pressure. The first game we lost, okay, New Zealand being a very strong team. After losing a game, there is another good chance for you to win (the second) and win the third one and make it to the semis,” he said.

“If you look at the positives, I think that (it) is the best time and best chance for any individual or a team to make a mark. We used to love it (playing India back in the day) and all the players are waiting for the opportunity to rise above the bar,” he said.

“Taking pressure is the job of the players. If you remove pressure, then what’s left in a Pakistan-India game? A player needs such pressure and passion to showcase his performances,” said Javed.