SOUTHAMPTON: Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq urged his side to guard against complacency, saying England was capable of staging a comeback in the five-match ODI series.

The two teams face off in the third game at the Rose Bowl in Southampton on Tuesday with Pakistan 1-0 up.

"We have been playing well in this series so far and the win at Lord's comes as a great relief," said Inzamam.

"But there are still three matches to go and the series is wide open. We will have to continue playing well to win it."

Pakistan defeated England by seven wickets at Lord's in the rain-curtailed second ODI on the back of some fine bowling by pacers Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif. The first encounter at Sophia Gardens in Cardiff was washed out.

Praise for bowlers

Inzamam underscored the importance of winning the toss in overcast conditions, and praised his bowlers for delivering the goods.

Meanwhile, England fast bowler Darren Gough will miss the remainder of the series because of a shin injury. Uncapped Durham seamer Graham Onions, 23, has been brought into the squad.

England captain Andrew Strauss picked seamer Jon Lewis (two for 11 off eight overs), playing his first One-Day International in over a year, as the positive his side could take from the defeat at Lord's.

"He showed he can exploit those conditions against the best batsmen in the world," said Strauss. "When he did get it he stuck to the basics and they paid off for him."

The teams (from): Pakistan: Inzamam-ul-Haq (capt.), Abdul Razzaq, Danish Kaneria, Iftikhar Anjum, Imran Farhat, Kamran Akmal, Mohammad Asif, Mohammad Hafeez, Mohammad Yousuf, Naved-ul-Hasan, Shahid Afridi, Shahid Yousuf, Shoaib Akhtar, Shoaib Malik, Umar Gul, Younis Khan.

England: A. Strauss (capt.), I. Bell, S.C.J. Broad, R. Clarke, P. Collingwood, A. Cook, J.W.M. Dalrymple, E.C. Joyce, J. Lewis, S. Mahmood, G. Onions, K. Pietersen, C. Read, M. Trescothick, M.H. Yardy.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail