ISLAMABAD: Pakistan team manager and chief selector Moin Khan is considering making several changes to the lineup before the World Cup after Sri Lanka whitewashed Pakistan 2-0 in the test series and also won the one-day series last month.
Pakistan's batsmen struggled in both formats on slow wickets in Sri Lanka and will be up against Australia and New Zealand in the United Arab Emirates before next year's World Cup.
"Time is short for the World Cup and we will take bold steps for the betterment of Pakistan cricket," Khan said. "Those who have given good performances will be retained and those who did not, we will look at them."
The slump in batting form of captain Misbah-ul-Haq was one of the big factors in Pakistan's twin losses in Sri Lanka. Misbah, who was the world's leading run-scorer in one-day internationals last year, made 67 runs in two tests and in three ODIs his score was also 67.
But Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Shaharyar Khan has already backed Misbah as captain until the 2015 World Cup.
"After a long time Misbah's performance has come down," Moin Khan said. "If you look into his past performances, it was very good and under him there has been stability in the team."
However, at least two players will be scrutinized after Umar Akmal failed to fulfill his dual role as wicketkeeper-batsman and Shahid Afridi's drought of wickets in ODIs has now stretched to six matches.
Pakistan is still waiting to get clearance of its ace off-spinner Saeed Ajmal's suspect bowling action after he was reported during the test series and skipped the first two ODIs to undergo tests in Australia.
"If he is banned then definitely we have to think for alternate plans," Khan said. "We have summoned two-three bowlers to the National Cricket Academy in Lahore so that we will look at them."
Khan said the recent losses in Sri Lanka were mainly due to the team's long lay-off of six months from international cricket and the poor form of Misbah.
"Teams do have good and bad performances but the main reason was the long lay-off," Khan said. "When the captain is not in form it reflects on the performance of the team and this time our captain was not in good form."
The PCB changed team's entire coaching staff after losing at the World Twenty20 and brought back Waqar Younis as head coach, Zimbabwean Grant Flower as batting coach and Mushtaq Ahmed as spin bowling coach.
"When a team comes down it doesn't mean that the management is over staffed," Khan said. "Waqar has come after a long time and we have to give him time, his plans have clarity and he has been working on every individual player."
