The Hindu : Sport / Cricket : Pakistan is not a disjointed side: Lawson

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Sep 26, 2007
ePaper

Sport

Sport - Cricket

Pakistan is not a disjointed side: Lawson

— PHOTO: AP

SO NEAR, YET SO FAR: It was tough luck for Pakistan as it lost the ICC World Twenty20 final by a whisker against India.

Johannesburg: After his first assignment with the Pakistan cricket team in the ICC World Twenty20 championship, coach Geoff Lawson praised the players, saying they were a terrific bunch and not a disjointed side.

“I’m a little bit tired of reading how disjointed the Pakistan team is, as people just don’t know what goes on in that dressing-room. They’re a terrific bunch of guys, and we’ve got all the ingredients to be a good side,” Lawson said after Pakistan’s five-run defeat against India on Monday.

“Results apart, I’ve been really happy with the consistency our guys have shown. They’ve shown fighting qualities when they’ve been under pressure, and today was no exception,” he was quoted as saying by the BBC Sport on Tuesday.

Pat for Misbah

The Australian also defended batsman Misbah-ul-Haq, whose unorthodox shot saw him caught at fine-leg as he stepped across to the off-side, sealing the matter in India’s favour. “He’s played it well in this tournament and with a little more bat on it, it would have gone for four.

“I could see him playing it because fine-leg was up and a yorker was coming, so the shot was pretty much on the cards. Having already had a tie with India, it was always going to be close,” he said.

Shoaib lauds team

At Karachi, fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar has lauded the Pakistan team for its fine overall show. “Playing the final is also a big achievement and credit goes to all the boys who made it possible to play this great final after a long time,” Shoaib said.

“I believe this performance will help Pakistan gain confidence and produce better results during the home series against South Africa,” he was quoted as saying by the Dawn on Tuesday. — PTI

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