“If we had won the toss we would have fielded so I was surprised when Malik chose to bat,” Dhoni said. “There was a lot of dew on the field when we practised last evening which had a big impact on the game. Even though they were playing four fast bowlers it was difficult to bowl in the right areas.”
Malik, however, downplayed the dew factor and said that the game was up when the Pakistan fast bowlers failed to rein in the Indian batsmen at the start. The one-day bandwagon now rolls in to Jaipur and the dew factor will once again come into play in another day-night contest.
I don’t know how long it will take for Malik to learn from his mistakes, but he is making really big ones. I don’t know what Lawson and YK’s input in toss decisions and other matters on the field. Is there even a home work or basic analysis?
"I had asked for scorecards of the last three matches played here. The teams batting first had won so I decided to bat first." **Shoaib Malik* confirms he had done his homework before the fourth ODI against India at Gwalior which Pakistan lost after opting to bat first and having problems gripping the ball due to the evening dew*
So he makes his decisions based on what the results were previously and not what the current conditions look like? Goodness Gracious! This is really looking more and more like a joke now.
The decision to bat first could not have been Malik's alone. The coach, Younis, Yousif would have agreed to it too.
Good point. And in any case, even the best captains make mistakes on toss calls.
IMO, the more valid criticism of Malik is his lack of influence on the field - very lethargic and with none of the energy that say Younis Khan used to show. I remember the Inzi days - as an Indian fan, I would dread the times Inzi would leave the field because with Younis running the show on the field, the difference was obvious. Fielders were more alert, bowlers were more responsive, and inevitably things happened. Its a shame for Pak that the door on Younis as captain has been shut until Dec 08.
Good point. And in any case, even the best captains make mistakes on toss calls.
IMO, the more valid criticism of Malik is his lack of influence on the field - very lethargic and with none of the energy that say Younis Khan used to show. I remember the Inzi days - as an Indian fan, I would dread the times Inzi would leave the field because with Younis running the show on the field, the difference was obvious. Fielders were more alert, bowlers were more responsive, and inevitably things happened. Its a shame for Pak that the door on Younis as captain has been shut until Dec 08.
Well I do have to agree on this.
Younis Khan as a Captain is more lively on the field.
The body language of Shoaib in the last three matches was not good at all.
I wonder why, since we had nothing to loose at the very first of three matches.
