The Hindu : Sport / Cricket : Inzamam promises improved show

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Feb 09, 2005

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Inzamam promises improved show

KARACHI, FEB. 8. Pakistan cricket captain Inzamam-ul Haq on Tuesday promised a better show during the upcoming tour of India, saying the tough series against Australia had battle-hardened his young team-mates.

"We have learnt a lot from the tour of Australia which will help us in more ways than one when we tour India," Inzamam told reporters here after the team's return from a long and disappointing Australian tour.

Pakistan was swept 3-0 in the three-Test series by the Aussies but it managed to win three one-day internationals in the tri-series to make it to the best-of-three finals which it lost 2-0.

The Pakistan team will leave for India on February 25, its first tour since 1999, for a three-Test and five-match one-day series.

Woolmer said if the players did not repeat the mistakes they made in Australia, they could do well against India.

``I hope the players will capitalise on what they have learnt in Australia and if they do not repeat the mistakes they committed in Australia, they can always do well. I think that overall the Australian tour was an interesting one because it gave us a chance to pick men from out of the boys.''

Bowlers must fire

Inzamam stressed on the need for his bowling line-up to fire against the strong batting of India.

``We need a strong bowling line-up and I hope that all our injured bowlers regain their fitness to help us in India. We know India is a tough team in their den because they have a strong batting line-up and they catch their opposition through their spinners,'' he said.

Pakistan has been struggling in the bowling department with question marks on the fitness and form of strike bowlers Shoaib Akhtar, who also faces disciplinary action for contract violation, and Mohammad Sami.

Pacemen Shabbir Ahmed and Umar Gul have already been ruled out because of injuries while Saqlain Mushtaq is still on crutches after undergoing surgery on his knees.

Defending his team's poor performance in Australia, Inzamam said the conditions in Australia were tough and most of his players were new to the conditions.

``You must take into account that 12 of our players were new to those conditions. Three to four players have come to the fore and have matured on this tour.''

``India will be a difficult and different tour but the pitches in India will be easier for us as compared to those in Australia. Indian pitches would definitely be different and there will be no pitch like Perth in India and our batsmen would be more at ease (although) I know there will be a lot of spin to play,'' Woolmer said.

Not impressed

Before coming down to Pakistan last year, India had undertaken a successful tour of Australia where it drew the four-Test series 1-1. But Woolmer, a South Africa-born Englishman, was hardly impressed with this background.

``India came to Pakistan in 2004 battle-hardened enough from their tour of Australia two months before. But mind you, we faced a fully equipped Australian side with Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne both of whom missed the Test series against India — that made a huge difference.''

Woolmer is under fire for not helping Pakistan win a series since taking over from Javed Miandad in June last year. But he showed no signs of tension or pressure.

``My mother had always told me that once you are in difficult situation, you take all the difficulties as a challenge the next time you face them and come out better,'' he said.

``From the lessons we learnt in Australia, we can make rapid progress in the near future. When they tour Pakistan in the next couple of years, we can beat them if we put up our best.'' — PTI

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