For the first time, I think I honestly don’t mind losing a match/series. So, this team management isn’t all that incompetent after all.
Shobby better shine up that chaat stall.
Pakistan fully capable of bouncing back: Rashid
By Waheed Khan
KARACHI: **The third and final One-day International against England at Lord’s on Sunday could prove to be a make or break event for speedster Shoaib Akhtar.
“The team management and senior players are not at all happy with the performance of Shoaib in the second one-dayer and the feeling is that he should be given one final chance to prove his superstar status at Lord’s,” a team source told ‘The News’ on Saturday.
“The feeling basically is that since he believes himself to be a superstar bowler and also enjoys this status, it is time he delivered for the team accordingly,” the source said.
“If Shoaib can’t do something special in the final match, it might well be his last match for Pakistan under the existing team management,” the source added.**
However, Pakistan captain Rashid Latif was not willing to comment on these inside reports but confirmed there was little chance of any changes being made in the team for the final match.
“I don’t think we are going to have any changes. I think Shoaib will play because it makes no sense to drop him after just one match although his bowling was a disappointment,” Rashid conceded.
While agreeing that the batsmen had not posted a challenging enough total for the bowlers to defend at The Oval, Rashid still insisted that he would have been happier if the bowlers had made more of a fight of defending such a total.
“England’s victory was too emphatic. Although we have not pressed the panic button at all. It is just that their players have more experience of playing in such conditions. Our players were deceived by the bare look of the pitch but in England on any sort of surface if a bowler keeps the right sort of pace, line and length he can always get some movement,” he pointed out.
The Pakistan skipper said he remained confident that both teams were evenly matched and if his team played maturely it could beat England to win the series.
“Even though we lost at The Oval by a big margin, I know these players are capable of getting back into form for the final match and have the temperament to deliver the goods.”
“I still feel England’s middle and lower order is more vulnerable than ours which is why Marcus Trescothick played the way he did yesterday, taking numerous chances because he perhaps also realizes the state of their middle-order. Luck also didn’t support us. We moved a slip and the next ball the batsman edged straight there. We had a wicket off a no-ball, etc. It was just one of those bad days.”
Rashid said he remained satisfied with the attitude and progress shown by the team members specially the young players. “Sometimes such a defeat tends to shake you up from any complacency you might have developed. If we get our basics right the third match will be a hard fought one.”
Rashid said he was disappointed with his own form and that of Younis Khan in the first two games but also defended the dismissals of the latter for ducks, noting that in both matches Younis got two very good balls.
“Maybe it was just his misfortune because he has been in good form on this tour.”
Rashid dismissed suggestions that England pacer James Anderson had some sort of a psychological edge over the Pakistani batsmen since his first appearance against them at Capetown in the World Cup in late February.
“I don’t believe this is a correct assumption. Anderson has bowled well in both matches but he is not unplayable. Even his hat-trick did not contain three unplayable or wicket-taking balls. The batsmen just missed out with careless shots.”
“In England you have to be patient and very selective in your shots. Because the slight deviation of the ball will always be there.”
URL: Daily Jang: Urdu News - Latest Breaking News update Pakistan - jang.com.pk
