31st May 2009
In 2007, Pakistan lost to arch-rivals India in the final of the inaugural event in South Africa, a defeat that Coach Intikhab Alam said still hurt his players and has acted as an incentive for them in their preparations this time around.
Something Pakistan could not prepare for, however, was last week's withdrawal of paceman Shoaib Akhtar because of a skin infection, although he has been replaced by Rao Iftikhar.
Better news for the side came when off-spinner Saeed Ajmal's bowling action was cleared last week after he had been reported by match officials for a suspect action.
The Pakistan Cricket Board has also lifted bans on batsman Mohammad Yousuf and all-rounder Abdul Razzaq after their resignations from the unauthorised Indian Cricket League.
South Africa are coming off a glorious 12 months during which they claimed Test series victories over England and Australia away from home as well as home-and-away ODI series wins over the Aussies.
The Proteas have also unearthed a host of new talent over the past months, adding the likes of Roelof van der Merwe and Yusuf Abdulla to their ranks in order to freshen the squad up, and are now one of the favourites for the showpiece which starts next Friday.
The addition of van der Merwe gives South Africa an extra spinner plus depth to their batting line-up, and with fellow allrounders Jacques Kallis, Albie Morkel and JP Duminy already present, the side have no shortage of options with bat and ball.
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