da stake casino： Reactions are never to expected from Inzamam-ul-Haq, and after leading his side to a nine-wicket win, Pakistan’s fourth in their last seven home Tests, few were apparent on Inzamam’s face
Osman Samiuddin14-Nov-2006
‘This is not a second-string squad. These are the 15 best players we have in Pakistan’ © AFP
Reactions are never to expected from Inzamam-ul-Haq, and after leading hisside to a nine-wicket win, Pakistan’s fourth in their last seven homeTests, few were apparent on Inzamam’s face. Each win is equal, just somemore than others and this was a much-needed one after two months wherethey have only lost three international matches but, really, taken analmighty battering away from the field.Impassively, Inzamam greeted the win. “Yes, after all that has happened,the boys were a bit down and this could have been difficult,” he toldreporters. “Their confidence was down but they worked hard, believed inthemselves and did well with both bat and ball. We’re just hoping tocontinue like this now.”One of the many fall-outs from the autumn was the loss of Shoaib Akhtarand Mohammad Asif, leading to suggestions that there was somethingdecidedly second-string about the side which took the field. But asexpected from a captain used to playing without key players through histenure, Inzamam was adamant that this was the best team. “This is not asecond-string squad. These are the 15 best players we have in Pakistan.”We do miss big names like Shoaib and Asif; anyone would. But we are usedto it and we can win without them and that is a good thing. Obviously, ourchances of winning improve with them in the side but this is still a goodside.” Asked how he felt about his eight-ball duck, he answeredmajestically, and to much laughter, “Even I can perform badly sometimes.” Indeed, the attack was capable enough to bowl out a strong batting line-uptwice, in just over 150 overs of two innings, Umar Gul and Shahid Nazirdoing the bulk of the damage. “The confidence we have put in them both haspaid off and they bowled extremely well through the match. They got helpfrom the wicket but they still had to do the job.”With what is becoming an increasingly regular occurrence before mostseries Pakistan are involved in, Danish Kaneria’s role was touted as thekey one here. He might not have succeeded to the extent that the tourists’supposed traditional weakness against leg-spin suggested, but threewickets wasn’t a bad few days’ work. The rewards, Inzamam said, could havebeen greater. “He bowled very well and I think he was desperately unlucky.He picked up important wickets in the first innings and in the second hewas very good, just not very lucky.”As questions dried up at the press conference, one journalist asked, in aunique twist to the norm, what lessons Pakistan would learn from the. Momentarily flummoxed, Inzamam paused, looked around, andto knowing sniggers, asked “What shall I say?”When prompted, he highlighted, as ever, the fielding. “We dropped catchesand though we can always improve in all departments we need to improve ourfielding most.” He will hope to improve his own score from this Test aswell. Asked how he felt about his eight-ball duck, he answeredmajestically, and to much laughter, “Even I can perform badly sometimes.”As dry as ever and thus most definitely back.