The Hindu : Sport / Cricket : A battle within a battle

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Jul 24, 2004

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Sport - Cricket

A battle within a battle

By Our Principal Correspondent

COLOMBO, JULY 23. When India and Pakistan lock horns in the day/night super-league encounter at the Premadasa Stadium on Sunday, in what is virtually a semifinal clash in the Indian Oil-Asia Cup 2004, it will see two old mates from Kent trying to plot each other's downfall.

"Oh yes, I've known Bob Woolmer from the time I was playing for the Kent second XI and he in the first team. Bob's an experienced international coach and a keen student of the game. I have a lot of respect for him and his achievements. He hasn't been with Pakistan for long though. I'm sure he has been having a good look at our team," said John Wright, the Indian coach.

Wright expects the match to be tough. "Oh yeah, all our recent encounters have been reasonably close. They probably have more batting form going into the clash. But then, both teams have had a lay-off."

Wright said the reason behind the high-scoring contests in the limited-overs series in Pakistan in March was the good batting pitches provided by the host, barring the one at Peshawar.

"It will be interesting to see what kind of wicket we play on here. The ball darted around a bit under lights the other day in the match between Sri Lanka and Pakistan at the Premadasa. I hope we are provided with a good one-day pitch, one that allows batsmen from either side to display their exciting brand of batting."

On whether Shoaib Akhtar would be a factor, the Kiwi said, "we've played a lot against him and have had a hard look at him. Both teams are probably a bit rusty. And we are going into a one-off match, which is extremely important for both of us."

Be disciplined

Wright spoke about the importance of cutting down the extras. "We've got to do something about it. Not sensible to give them an extra batsman, right?"

With Zaheer passing the fitness test, there is competition for the seamers' slots. "Ashish Nehra bowled really well in his return game against Bangladesh. His record against Pakistan is good. Off-spinner Harbhajan Singh bowled really well in his return game, against Bangladesh. The one that got Faisal Hossain was a nice delivery," he said. Wright said there were no problems in the batting department. "We need to get through the first 15 overs with our wickets intact. The start is important."

The Indian team had a net session at the Premadasa Stadium complex on Friday afternoon. V.V.S. Laxman received a blow on his left knee off a Zaheer delivery and ice was applied. There was no official word about the status.

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