Former Pakistani captain Wasim Akram has said Sri Lanka were the dark horses and tipped them to claim the title at the Caribbean. “They have some extremely talented players and in my book they can upset anyone to win the title,” Akram said. The former tearaway bowler said Pakistan’s strength was their middle order which had a lot of experience behind it and was “one of the best in the world”. But at the same time he was candid in saying that Pakistan’s chances in the tournament were 50-50 as they were struggling with a number of issues. “Pakistan have too many injury and other problems and there is also a problem in finding a reliable opening pair,” he said.Barry not convincedMelbourne: South African legend Barry Richards has said he was not convinced with the view that Australia would come back stronger in the upcoming World Cup. “Ever since England won the triangular series in Australia, a lot of people have been saying that Australia are going to come back even stronger. I am not convinced,” Richards said.“A lot of the other sides see the Aussies as a team with stars of the past nearing the end of their careers. They now believe they can beat the Aussies — and none more so than South Africa and New Zealand,” he was quoted as saying by The Herald Sun.Inzi wants to do a WaughKarachi: Many believed Inzamam-ul Haq’s career was over in 2003, but now he is not only leading Pakistan’s challenge in the Caribbean but also seeks a Steve Waugh-style Cup swansong. Former Australia captain Waugh was on the winning side in his first World Cup in 1987 before leading his team to glory in his last in 1999.“It would be a great achievement and I dearly want what Steve had,” said Inzamam, who not only had to step down as vice-captain but was also dumped after scoring just 19 runs in six World Cup matches in 2003.Yousuf faces litmus testKarachi: Mohammad Yousuf may be high in the world’s Test battting rankings, but the World Cup will prove whether or not he can translate his form into the one-day arena and help Pakistan lift the trophy. In 2006, the 32-year-old plundered a calendar year record of 1,778 Test runs and the world record of nine centuries in a year, including six in five consecutive Tests. But when it comes to one-day cricket Yousuf has rarely played a leading role for Pakistan. He is still criticised for not finishing off the match when the team is in pursuit of a target.
