The Pakistan captain backed his bowlers ahead of Pakistan’s key clash against West Indies.

How is the fitness and is everyone on the squad available for selection first of all? Everything going okay?
Yeah, everybody’s fit. There are no problems.

Without Umar Gul on your side, tell us are you confident your bowling attack has the potency to bowl against the likes of Chris Gayle?
Yeah, I think at the moment, everybody’s bowling well. And it would be doubt for us to select three or four, whichever we are going to do, because all the five bowlers are really bowling well. So I think there is confidence, a confident side for our bowling attack at the moment.

Obviously Umar Gul is not here and he is our most experienced bowler, but I think the guys who are really new at international level are really bowling well. And the way Asad Ali and Wahab when they are bowling, we really are confident that we have a good bowling side.

Have you set particular plans for Chris Gayle?
Of course, every team has plans against these sort of players, match winners, and we also have some plans against him. It’s a matter of our execution and how to execute those plans.

Your own batting opened in great form in the domestic T20 format. Is it simple enough to translate that form into the 50-over game, particularly with a new ball at each end?
It depends on the situation, which situation you are displaying. I think now we are experienced enough to just know the situations and how to display. What team demands, what situation demands and just we need to execute according to that and go there and expect it. I’m really happy the way I’m playing at the moment and the kind of form I’m in, and I’d be really happy to continue that form.

What kind of team balance would you want, having the conditions and the pitch in your mind at The Oval?
I can’t tell exactly this. I can’t tell exactly what we’re going to do, but I think we’re pretty sure what we’re going to do in these sorts of conditions against West Indies. So I’m happy about the pitch and about the preparation and about my team’s combination.

We all know that you have a pretty young team. The previous five or ten matches when Pakistan made a victory, you played the primary role in batting. So do you feel extra pressure that you, being the senior most guy, that you need to perform for the team to win?
As a batsman, I think if you’re senior or junior, I think you have really a responsibility to just go there and perform for your team. I don’t think there is any added responsibility or any pressure like that. I think everybody’s in good form. Hafeez is in good form. Imran has scored some runs. Asad Shafiq scored runs, and especially in the lower order, Malik got runs in Ireland, and Kamran played a really good inning, Wahab Riaz also contributed. So we are happy with the way we are in — sort of confident before this tournament.

Do you see a similarity between your team and the West Indies in that when you’re at your best you can beat absolutely anyone, and sometimes you need to be at your best?
I think so. You can associate this with both the teams, mostly these two teams just depend on the talent, and you can say, individuals’ performances on a day. So the best you can say is there is a similarity between the two teams in this particular area.

You’re bowling well and playing a lot of cricket as well. If someone like Gayle or Pollard get going, do you feel you have the experience or someone has the experience that can come in and put a lid on things?
In bowling? I think so. This bowling attack is really proving themselves against some quality sides in the world. They bowled really well against South Africa; they bowled well against India, so I think they’re capable of doing that. And we’ve got some of the best spinners in Hafeez and Saeed Ajmal, and everybody knows what difference they can make, especially with our pacers now, the way they are bowling, I think we are confident that they can do it on a day.

Last time you were here for an international tournament you won it; what is the difference between the spirit in the camp last time to the spirit this time? Is it the same or are there differences here?
The spirit is the same. I already told before the start of this tournament that whenever you just arrive for these sorts of tournaments, absolutely everyone has a clear goal or vision to win that tournament, and we are feeling the same. Actually, you can’t control sometimes results – the best thing you can do is just put 100%, play your best, and I think that’s what I’m just telling the players and everybody.

We need to put our 100% effort, that’s what we can do, and try to just produce your best cricket and let’s see what the results are.

Ehsan Adil has joined the team. What sort of impact has he made so far? Because we saw him (inaudible) easily against South Africa in the practice match. And second is about Mohammad Irfan, is he fully fit or is there some doubt about his fitness?
I think regarding Irfan’s fitness, he is fit. It was part of the strategy that we played against South Africa. He’s totally fit, bowling well, so no problem with his fitness.

As for Ehsan Adil, I think he’s there to help us. He’s really working hard with everyone, especially we were struggling with the openers, and I think he’s working really hard with both of them and our tall bowlers. I personally believe whoever comes as a sporting sub, they are here to help us. And it’s up to us how we are going to benefit from them, and I think the guys are really utilizing him. At the moment, I think it’s really helping us.

Have you and team management decided about the fast bowlers to play tomorrow? Who are the other two to play with Junaid Khan?
No, we are going to have a meeting and then decide. But obviously we have clear plans in our mind even before the start of what we’re going to do.

How important is tomorrow’s match? Because if you win tomorrow you’ll have one foot in the semi-finals, but if you lose tomorrow, it’s do-or-die. How important is tomorrow?
I think in this situation, the first game is very important for any team. Because you are going to play only three games a round, so the first win will be really important for any team because then you have the luxury to have two more games and just win one and get through to the semi-finals. So everything just falls to the first one, and if you win that, it obviously puts pressure on the other teams, and your pressure is a little bit eased out.

So I think we are looking forward to that, and I’m sure that the West Indies also want to win that, so it will be a good contest.

Courtesy: ICC CHAMPIONS TROPHY