The Hindu : Sport : Time for Pakistan to come out of its defensive shell

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Jan 21, 2006

Sport

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Time for Pakistan to come out of its defensive shell

India should not persist with Dravid as opener, writes Imran Khan

There are times when cricket coaches have to justify their salaries, but when they make bizarre statements to that end, it really amazes me. However, Bob Woolmer can be forgiven for his ridiculous contention that the home team has no right to intervene and ask for a pitch that suits its strengths.

After all, he has played very little international cricket and has not had an extended exposure to the game at the highest level. Neither has he been in any position of responsibility within the game, so his naïve arguments do not come as a surprise.

During my 21 years of international cricket, I have seen almost every team prepare pitches that suit it at home — it is a legitimate home advantage that has been used right from the inception of the game. Hearing the comments of the coach I am increasingly convinced that the grass on the Lahore track was shaved off in order to make it placid and risk-free.

Anyone who knows anything about cricket in Pakistan is aware that the Lahore pitch assists the pacemen if it has grass on it. However, for Bob to know that he would have to leave his computer — God knows what he does on it — and go to the middle and speak to the local officials as well as the captain. He has to go out there and plan on how he can take 20 wickets and win a match rather than just tinker around on a laptop.

I would also like to see Bob work a bit on a specialist opener to partner Salman Butt at the top of the order. The bits and pieces players who are filling in are part of the negative county cricket mindset. The opening slot is a crucial one and it needs no less than a specialist if Pakistan is to do well on the tour of England later this year.

Moving to the Indian side, they too should not persist with the move to promote Rahul Dravid in the batting order, the 410-run partnership notwithstanding. The No. 3 slot is a crucial one and Dravid is a vital cog in the Indian batting line-up. Losing him early could be disastrous for the Indians.

The Indian captain should also consider the option of playing three pacers if he sees even the slightest hint of grass. So he should play Zaheer Khan even if leaving out Harbhajan Singh or Anil Kumble is a tough call.

With both teams having serious problems at the top of the order, I would like to see Inzamam-ul-Haq sending the Indians in if he wins the toss. Even on a placid wicket, the maximum assistance the bowlers will get would be on the morning of the first day. He has the bowling armoury to use even a little moisture and bounce and importantly, batting first could be dangerous for him since one of his openers is a makeshift one.

The hosts must play attacking cricket and look to win this Test. Under no circumstances should they get defensive and wait till the third Test. If they do that, they will be putting too much pressure on themselves and it could prove catastrophic. (Gameplan)

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