subject: South Africa, Pakistan, Focuses On One Dayers [print this page] South Africa, Pakistan, Focuses On One Dayers
South Africa and Pakistan are preparing for next year's World Cup with a game in five days, a series from here on Friday, as captain Graeme Smith, Shahid Afridi has urged his team to keep the focus.
South Africa is in top form after a miserable 3-0 in a dull Zimbabwe one-day series at home and beat Pakistan in two Twenty20 matches in preparation for the 50-plus games.
Smith, who handed Twenty20 captain Johan Botha last month, said the site development is the key in front of the 2011 World Cup co-hosting India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, which starts in February. "It will be a foretaste of the sub-continent conditions before the World Cup," Smith said of the series here.
"South Africa is on the development of the front page of the World Cup and we are delighted to be here. "South Africa, one of the best teams not to win the World Cup, will also play two tests in Dubai and Abu Dhabi in a series offers the United Arab Emirates (UAE) because of security fears in cricket Pakistan.
Smith hopes to remain in focus after the last tour of Pakistan in England was marked by spot-fixing allegations that have hurt the game at international level. "We hope that cricket would be played in the right direction and, ultimately, it will be cricket that made headlines for performance on the field," said Smith, whose team plays in the UAE for the first time since 2000 -.
Three players from Pakistan Salman Butt and Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamer Bowling was suspended by the International Cricket Council (ICC) following allegations of fixing up in tests of the Lord in August cons England.Afridi admitted Pakistan will missing three suspended players.
"There is no doubt that they are our key players and we are going to miss them, but we have plenty of talent and we will try our best to overcome that loss because the World Cup is so close," said Afridi.Afridi said his players focused on the task at hand. "What happened on the tour of England is over and is a new series and a new challenge for which we are fully focused," said Afridi.
South Africa still sweating on the fitness of fast bowler hat Dale Steyn and Jacques versatile Kallis, who missed the playoffs because of injuries Twenty20.
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