Indian tour of Pak

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Pakistan ready for ‘tough’ series against India, says Inzamam](Yahoo is part of the Yahoo family of brands.)

KARACHI (AFP) - Pakistan cricket captain Inzamam-ul Haq and coach Javed Miandad said that their team was ready to take India head on in their upcoming deadlock-breaking home series.

“We are ready for the home series against India, which will be a really tough series,” said Inzamam on his team’s return from New Zealand on Thursday.

He said his young team would spare no efforts to win against arch rival India after a gruelling series against the Black Caps.

Pakistan won the two-match Test series 1-0 but were tamed 4-1 in the one-dayers and in a week’s time start their preparations for the first India-Pakistan series in Pakistan for 14 years.

“Our young team played well in New Zealand and with a superior bowling attack we think we can stop the Indian batting which has been performing very well in Australia,” said Inzamam, who is likely to retain the captaincy.

India is due to arrive in the first week of March for three Test matches and five-match one-day series. A final itinerary is expected to be announced at the weekend.

“We will rely on our pacers and with Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Sami we have two match winners,” Inzamam said.

Inzamam dismissed as baseless media reports that he and Shoaib developed differences during the New Zealand tour. The reports suggested Shoaib wanted to take over captaincy from Inzamam.

“We lost the one-day series and that allowed baseless rumours to float and once we start winning, all this will die down,” the burly Pakistani captain said.

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) under new chairman Shaharyar Khan has shown uncertainty over whether to disband the selection committee headed by former captain Aamir Sohail before the Indian series.

Sohail came under criticism after an Under-17 team he selected was suspended by the PCB chairman and press reports here said a new selection committee would be announced shortly to chose probables for the vital series against India.

Inzamam was confident the same team can take on India.

“The team which won the Test series in New Zealand needs no changes and it has been shaping up well since we won a Test series against South Africa last year.”

Coach Miandad said he had noted grey areas in the team and would try to improve on them before the series against India.

“We lost the one-day series to New Zealand mainly because of absence of Shoaib due to injury in the first two games and due to poor fielding,” said Miandad, who was appointed coach after Pakistan’s World Cup debacle in March last year.

“It would be a tough series against India but if we play to our potential we can win the series,” said Miandad, under whose coaching Pakistan won two out of three Tests on their last tour to India in 1998-99.(AFP)

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Miandad: India series will be ‘very tough’](http://uk.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/CRICKET_NEWS/2004/JAN/052727_PAK_23JAN2004.html)

The Pakistan side returned to Karachi from their New Zealand tour yesterday, but all the questions from the media were about the forthcoming series against India.

“I have never seen the Indian team playing with such strength or confidence … our strength is that we have never been so united and played with so much spirit as we are doing at the moment,” Javed Miandad, Pakistan’s coach, admitted. “We are going to face a very tough series against them. It’s going to be an emotionally charged series because of the little cricket we have had against each other in the recent years.”

Inzamam-ul-Haq, Pakistan’s captain, was a little more upbeat, while acknowledging that it would be tough. "We are ready for the series. Our young team played well in New Zealand and with a superior bowling attack we think we can stop the Indian batting which has been performing very well in Australia.

“We will rely on our pacers and with Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Sami we have two match winners,” he continued, while dismissing reports that he had fallen out with Shoaib in New Zealand. “We lost the one-day series and that allowed baseless rumours to float and once we start winning, all this will die down.”

Some local newspapers have been calling for changes to the side following the heavy defeat in the one-day series, but Inzamam said that the same side was more than capable of beating India. “It needs no changes,” he insisted. “It has been shaping up well since we won a Test series against South Africa last year.”

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^
Indian series will definetly be tough...and with Inzamam retained as captain...it will only get tougher for Pakistan.

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[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by yaasir: *
^
Indian series will definetly be tough...and with Inzamam retained as captain...it will only get tougher for Pakistan.
[/QUOTE]

yep, good luck to Pakistan and fellow guppies.

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Give Inzi a break. OK, his capaincy was not up to the task in series against NZ, but same guy was captain when Pak beat SA.

Go Inzi! Show them what you got! :slight_smile: :k:

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what do u want to see…

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Best of Luck Pakistan
inshAllah we will make it:k:

:jhanda:

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Sorry, the test Pakistan won against SA was under Youhanna’s captaincy :stuck_out_tongue: , Inzi played 2nd test and it was a draw.

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Younis and Saqlain may comeback for India series
Press Trust of India
Islamabad, January 24

Pakistan's new slection committee may recall experienced stars Waqar Younis, Shahid Afridi and Saqlain Mushtaq for the upcoming cricket series against India beginning in March.

Also in contention for a recall to the national side is wicketkeeper-batsman Rashid Latif as the selectors headed by former Test captain Wasim Bari sit down to finalise a pool of 40 players in the first phase of the selection process.

Bari had spoken to his fellow selectors Iqbal Qasim, Ehteshamuddin and Sultan Rana and also the Pakistan captain and coach and exchanged views with them on the selection process for the series.

"I can say for sure at this stage that we will be having the preliminary selection process with an open mind and seniors like Waqar Younis, Rashid Latif, Saqlain Mushtaq and Shahid Afridi are definitely under consideration for the India series," Bari was quoted as saying in The News.

Bari, who played 87 Tests for Pakistan and was earlier chief selector between 1999 and 2003, said he wanted to basically adopt a horses for courses policy for the Indian series.

"We will pick the best possible combination and everyone would be considered who makes it to the pool of 40. The seniors should not worry that they will not get a fair chance. Our job is to select the best possible combinations and players," he said.

Bari also said even someone like Bazid Khan who has scored lot of runs in the Patrons Trophy was on the selectors shortlist.

"I think he has been far more consistent this season and has matured as a batsman. He is one we want to have a close look at. I would be going to the Patrons Trophy one-day final and will see how the players perform," Bari said.

Bari felt the rebuilding process of the Pakistan team was now over and it was time to find settled combinations and prepare a shortlist of players including strong and experienced reserve players.

"We have done well in the Test matches but in the one-dayers I think our performances have not been consistent because of two basic problems -- the fielding and extras conceded."

"I think you just require to work hard on these two aspects to gain more consistent results in one-dayers also. I have spoken on this to the captain and coach."

Bari said he did not believe the team did badly in the One-dayers in New Zealand.

"I thought they played well except for one match. But yes Muhammad Sami struggled because he is an attacking bowler in the mould of Waqar Younis and he had some fitness problems."

Barid said Pakistan needed to scout out batsmen who could also bowl in the one-dayers as playing with just five bowlers was not good enough.

"And we also need to strengthen our bowling attack for the Indian series to counter their strong batting line-up."

interesting article... i dont know much about bazid khan im not sure about shahid afridi unless miandad can keep him under control

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I think Waqar Younis has a strong chance of coming back into the team, since Shabbir has been incosistent in ODI's and Sami recently has struggled and Shoiab has had fitness problems. So it might be a good idea to have him in the team.

Also, since we found out we definetly need a sixth bowler in the team, because Razzaq's bowling has become a liability for some time now. We definetly need an all-rounder who can bowl a bit to stop the flow of runs and as a batsmen, score some runs here and there. I think Afridi under Miandad would be a completely different player, as we saw that when Afridi scored 141 against India under Miandad. He also scored his highest ODI score of 109 against India in Toronto under Miandad. So, I think its worth the gamble since we have no other choice.

Saqlain...well his recent bowling hasnt been great...but maybe giving him a recall againt a rival opponent like India may bring the best out of him...so you never know.

The way India has been playing recently, we definetly need to make some changes in the team and take some sort of a gamble. If it works, then we might end up on the winning side.

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do you think miandad or inzi will let afridi open... I think the openers are the problem because hameed shoud be batting #3 ,, but farhat and afridi as openers might be too much because both are really agressive and prone to getting out quickly... i think the team could defiintely use waqar especailyl to mentor someone like sami and saqi should no doubt be given a chance, his record speaks for itself... as for latif,, it might be a good idea to let him play on the test squad, if he's fit and can keep his mouth shut

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[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by lyallpur larka: *
do you think miandad or inzi will let afridi open... I think the openers are the problem because hameed shoud be batting #3 ,, but farhat and afridi as openers might be too much because both are really agressive and prone to getting out quickly... i think the team could defiintely use waqar especailyl to mentor someone like sami and saqi should no doubt be given a chance, his record speaks for itself... as for latif,, it might be a good idea to let him play on the test squad, if he's fit and can keep his mouth shut
[/QUOTE]

I think its not a good idea to make Afridi open. As you said, Imran is an aggressive player, and someone more defensive should be paired with him. As far as I believe, Miandad definetly wants Yasir to open in ODI's, so I think he will stick to that.

If Afridi is in the team, then his purprose is pretty much to be a sixth bowler, when one of the main bowlers is struggling, which has happened a lot these days for Pakistan when they go with only 5 bowlers. He could come in as a pinch hitter here and there. One more reason I would like to see Afridi back against India is because of his attitude. There is currently no one in the team except Moin who has the fighter and never give up attitude. Afridi is by far the best and most consistent fielder of Pakistan, and since fielding is weakest link of Pakistan, Afridi will definetly boost that as well.

As far as Rashid is concerned, I don't see him making a come back to the team as Moin is doing a fine job with gloves and as a batsman. It would be a very stupid move by the PCB to bring Rashid back when Moin is playing so well.

Im not to sure about Saqlain, I havent seen him play recently, so maybe someone else who has seen him can comment on that. But he might get a chance in ODI's since Danish isnt a great ODI bowler and Malik has been medicore recently. I would say Waqar, Afridi and Saqlain definetly have a good chance of making a come back into the team. People might argue we are bringing back old horses, but the only old horse is Waqar... Saqlain and Afridi still have tons of Cricket left in them.

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good article about reconsidering the forgotten players :k: i hope waqar bhai is brought back he isn’t finished yet at test level and saqi is needed badly i reckon, hopefully sami the useless sprout :mad: will be dropped he is not consistent at all, and hopefully mushi bhai will be considered 2 for test as, the last home series against south africa was harsh on him becoz’ he wasn’t given enough overs to bowl in the tests and danish kaneria took like 36 overs per innings whilst mushi’ bhai making a comeback after 2 years was allocated something like 9-10 overs per innings surely not enough to find ur line and get amongst the wickets, following that series he was dropped which was harsh…

shahid afridi should be considered for odi’s at number 6 position for batsmen and bowling option, his opening is weak as he slogs every ball, and his temparement suits the latter stages of an odi innings for example, so he should come in @ 6 in odi for tests i’m not sure coz he needs to change his batting technique badly, u can’t play like he does ad expect to score heavily every innings as ur basically presenting ur wicket to the opposition.

any 1 remember hasan raza the youngest peson to debut for pak at 16 back in 1996/1997 i believe he is a good player why isn’t he selected!! :konfused:

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an interestig discussion
Waqar and Saqi are excellent choices to be brought back. Waqar is still a young enough player to play a few years. Anyone who says he is too old is clueless and did'nt watch any of the World Cup, he may not have been the best captain but he was our best bowler. Who can forget his near hatrick against India. As for Saqi, he is a proven player. You cannot ignore the kind of stats he has put up. At his age he is coming back to the team and sooner rather than later.
As for Afrdi, I am not sure. He is as always, very talented. But his stats from the A team tournament in India are far from impressive. I would hesistate to bring him back, but he can be really destructive when he gets going. In the end the battle will be between him and Shaoib Malik for a spot.

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:flower1: " * Miandad to Akram: don’t reveal trade secrets " * :flower1:](http://uk.cricinfo.com/link_to_database/ARCHIVE/CRICKET_NEWS/2004/JAN/053503_PAK_24JAN2004.html)

  • Javed Mianded, the Pakistan coach, has said Wasim Akram should know where to draw the line when it comes to coaching India.

“What I am only worried about is that he does not give them tips on how to play reverse-swing,” Miandad said, adding that his own batsmen had developed a batting strategy to counter the late swing. Miandad was quoted by The News.

Akram is currently working in Australia as a commentator, and has been observed mentoring India’s fast bowlers. This hasn’t gone down too well with many, considering India’s tour of Pakistan is little more than a month away.

[thumb=E]waq18114_9137972.JPG[/thumb]
Playing reverse-swing is a secret, and Pakistan’s not telling
© Getty Images

But Miandad said Akram was within his rights to teach bowlers how to reverse-swing the ball. “There is nothing wrong in that because a bowler must have the ability to pick up the art.”

Miandad said that since Akram was a professional cricketer, there was nothing wrong if he was paid for his expertise. “Look, he is a retired player and this is his basic right to help out other players with his experience and knowledge.”

He opined that players usually helped each other out, regardless of nationality. “As a former player, I know that in international cricket players do help out each other. Lots of people have approached me for advice if they have been going through a rough time. Similarly, I have also sought some advice at times,” he recalled.

“But telling another team the trade secrets of our team, like how to play reverse-swing, I don’t think he would do it, and I hope he is not doing it.”

© Wisden Cricinfo Ltd *

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Waqar, Afrida, and Saqi coming back, well, I hope so. The source; press trust of india, is not that credible though.

They should give Saqi, and Afridi another and a lot more chances. Saqlain is a good spinner but he’s going through rough time, but he’ll most certainly be needed against India.

Afridi… well, same old Afridi. aar ya paar! :dhimpak:

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Not too thrilled about the old hags coming back. If they’re bringing everyone back, then what was the so-called rebuilding process for? This is ridiculous. Its exactly what went on in Pakistan during the 90’s on the political front and messed up the country. Not good. Not good at all. Who will Waqar replace? Who will Afridi replace? Who will Saqi replace?

As I see it, right now the team is very balanced, probably only missing Saqi. Thats it.

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i think you are wrong about dropping sami. he is an invaluable bowler and can play a great role in our attack. in the WC loss to India, if we had Sami we may have gotten more wickets. Imagine a bowling line up with Sami and Shoaib starting, Waqar and Saqi coming in relief and an arsenal of Razzaq, Afridi, Azhar and Shoaib Malik if needed. Pretty solid. Here’s my XI:

Yasir Hameed
Imran Farhat
Saleem Elahi
Yousuf Youhana
*Inzamam-ul-Haq
Abdul Razzaq
Shoaib Malik
+Moin Khan
Mohammad Sami
Shoaib Akhtar
Waqar Younis

Depending on the pitch, substitute Afrid for Saleem Elahi and Saqlain for Shoaib Malik.

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Can someone plz post the full fixtures list for the series between Pakiistan & India.

And by the way when is the series starting?

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[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by khurram786: *
Can someone plz post the full fixtures list for the series between Pakiistan & India.

And by the way when is the series starting?
[/QUOTE]

I don't think schedule is finalized yet.