The Hindu : Sport : Daunting task awaits Pakistan in opener

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Oct 17, 2006
ePaper

Sport

Sport

Daunting task awaits Pakistan in opener

Vijay Lokapally

KEEN STUDENT: Sanath Jayasuriya is all ears as Sri Lankan coach Tom Moody gives him some tips on the eve of the match against Pakistan. — PHOTO: R.V. Moorthy

JAIPUR: They have met regularly in contests within and outside the sub-continent but nothing makes it more interesting than the current clash. Pakistan has the huge task of making the best of options available after being let down by two of its key bowlers, Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif. Sri Lanka has played some good cricket in recent times and grown as a team under the leadership of Mahela Jayawardene.

Sanath Jayasuriya and Marvan Atapattu, as pointed out by Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer, are great assets. ``Sri Lanka has done very well as a team. Sanath is an attacking batsman at the top and the team has a very strong middle order. Their fielding too has improved tremendously. Sri Lanka is not an easy side to beat and we have to play to the best of our abilities,'' said Woolmer.

The Pakistan camp has had a turbulent time, from the ball-tampering allegations to the controversy with Darrell Hair that ultimately resulted in the team losing Inzamam-ul-Haq as a captain.

The appointment of Younis Khan as the new captain had its share of trouble too when he first rejected the honour and then accepted it in the interest of the team and the country.

``Events have taken place quickly but we are prepared to take any adversity in our stride. We need to put this issue behind and get on with the job. We are being paid to play cricket and that is the only priority for us,'' observed Woolmer, even though he could not hide his disappointment at losing two quality strike bowlers.

Putting up a brave face

Younis put up a brave front too. ``There is no change in plans because of the unfortunate happenings. We have to play good cricket and that is what I would emphasise in this difficult moment. The pitches and the conditions here are nothing new for us even though the result cannot be predicted. But there is not much difference in our approach and I would support my players. Form does not matter because we have to perform on a particular day and let me assure you that we are fully focussed,' said the Pakistan skipper with confidence.

Sri Lanka skipper Jayawardene exuded confidence on expected lines. ``Our preparation has been very good. We gradually built up steam during the first-round matches. The batting has been okay, the bowling disciplined and the fielding very good. The intensity and the aggression has been good as well.''

Having gone through the qualifying process has helped Sri Lanka remain match-fit with little worries in any department. The batting has looked solid and the bowlers have contributed by turns, making Jayawardene proud of the team's achievements. The Lankan captain did not agree that his team could become complacent in the light of Akhtar and Asif missing from the line-up.

``I don't think it will make any difference. We have seen in the past that teams that have a problem tend to find another gear and come out fighting. We are not taking Pakistan lightly. This game is as important to us now as it was yesterday (Sunday). We were looking forward to the challenge of playing against Shoaib. We have not played him for a while because of his injuries, and we were keen to see how we would cope up with him. From a cricket point of view, I am a bit disappointed that he won't be playing, but that's something we can't control,'' said Jayawardene.

Pakistan and Sri Lanka have had some stirring contests in the past and one can expect the teams to raise their stocks with yet another classy one on Tuesday.

The teams (from):

Sri Lanka: Mahela Jayawardene (capt.), Marvan Atapattu, Sanath Jayasuriya, Upul Tharanga, Kumar Sangakkara, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Chamara Kapugedara, Farveez Maharoof, Chaminda Vaas, Ruchira Perera, Dilhara Fernando, Lasith Malinga, Muttiah Muralitharan and Malinga Bandara.

Pakistan: Younis Khan (capt.), Shoaib Malik, Muhammad Hafeez, Mohammad Yousuf, Abdul Razzaq, Shahid Afridi, Kamran Akmal, Naved-ul-Hasan, Faisal Iqbal, Imran Farhat, Rao Iftikhar and Umar Gul.

Umpires: Simon Taufel (Australia) and Billy Bowden (New Zealand).

Third umpire: Steve Bucknor (West Indies).

Fourth umpire: Daryl Harper (Australia).

Match Referee: Jeff Crowe (New Zealand).

Hours of play: 2.30 p.m. to 6 p.m.; 6.45 p.m. till close

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

Sport