Inzamam-ul-Haq has expressed supreme confidence in his side’s ability to win the Videocon Trophy in Amstelveen, as well as the Champions Trophy in England. He said that Australia’s domination in one-dayers didn’t mean that they could not be overwhelmed. But to do that, he warned, Pakistan had to pick up their game.
Dawn quoted Inzamam as saying: “I think of only victory. I believe the team is well-balanced and if it performs to potential, it can win.” He said that the team had its sights set on beating the Australians. “For this target to be achieved we have to improve our fielding, which is now showing some improvement. We are good in two other departments; bowling and batting.”
He was satisfied with the team selected for both tournaments, and said that, contrary to some suggestions, he had the final say in selection matters. He placed faith in Shahid Afridi’s ability to perform, and acknowledged that his past record was unimpressive. But Inzamam did add that this would be Afridi’s last chance. He said that Afridi would be used as a sixth bowler, and shifted up and down the batting order according to the situation.
Besides Afridi’s inclusion, Inzamam defended Moin Khan’s presence in the squad. “We need wins to build players’ confidence. Therefore I prefer senior players as they can cope better with pressure situations.”
Inzamam then hinted that some players might not play on until the next World Cup, but refused to name them - and then said that he himself would play as long as he was happy. “I want to continue playing until I am satisfied with my performance.”
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by knightofhearts: *
is it confidence or over-confidence???
and how can he put his faith on this useless guy....what was the last time when afridi performed on the hour of need???
[/QUOTE]
you dont have to go that far back...2nd ODI against India. He was the only batsmen who dominated the Indian bowling and picked up 2 crucial wickets, including the one of Yuvraj near the end. The fact is, when he gets going, Afridi is a match winner, unlike Younis Khan, who has never ever gave a match winning performence.
he is only being optimist... every team has a chance to win before tournament starts.. plus if he had said that pak had no chance on the tournament, thats would go well with few folks either..
yeah i agree, everyone has the right to be an optimist...but shouldnt there be some limitation to OPTIMISM?? india is nothing...but what abt aussies...they r the best at the moment...and for me, the team who wins 21 Aug match will play aussies in the final and lose (now thats optimism)...
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by knightofhearts: *
yeah i agree, everyone has the right to be an optimist...but shouldnt there be some limitation to OPTIMISM?? india is nothing...but what abt aussies...they r the best at the moment...and for me, the team who wins 21 Aug match will play aussies in the final and lose (now thats optimism)...
[/QUOTE]
Is it confidence or over-confidence?
Arrogance or Ignorance on your part?
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by knightofhearts: *
yeah i agree, everyone has the right to be an optimist...but shouldnt there be some limitation to OPTIMISM?? india is nothing...but what abt aussies...they r the best at the moment...and for me, the team who wins 21 Aug match will play aussies in the final and lose (now thats optimism)...
[/QUOTE]
maybe thats what inzamam thinks in his heart but as a captain he cant teac that or show that to his troops.. he must show them that he is confident and brave and then let players back hm up... can u imagin what would happen to the moral of the team if he had said " well we have no chance and i dont even know why we are participating in this tourny"
well, arrogance, may be...but definitely not ignorance...just coz they have tendulkar doesnt mean that they can beat us all the time...and btw, i meant to say that india is 2nd best team in the world...
is there any end to idiocy?