The Hindu : Sport / Cricket : `Illness will not keep me away'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Jan 11, 2006

Sport

Sport - Cricket

`Illness will not keep me away'

Karachi: Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq on Tuesday scotched speculation that he was a doubtful starter for Friday's first cricket Test against India due to high fever.

``Not me but the entire country is in cricket fever. The Indian cricket team is in Pakistan and with them here, my fever has no value,'' Inzamam said in a lighter vein when asked about news reports that he was down with fever.

``I have a slight cough but it is certainly not an illness that would keep me away from the Test. The weather here is chilly and you catch cough if you do not protect yourself properly. But I don't think any cricketer would miss any Test because of cough,'' he said. Inzamam said the Pakistan cricket team's training camp would break for Eid-ul-Azha on Tuesday evening but the players would reassemble on Thursday morning.

``My concern is that with this two-day break, the boys might lose focus. We have concentrated and stayed focused during the training camp and this break can easily distract you because of the nature of the occasion.

``I thought to cancel the holidays but then allowed them to proceed for a couple of days because this occasion comes only once in a year and although the players would hardly get a chance to celebrate it, they would still have the satisfaction of being with their families,'' Inzamam said. — PTI

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