Sohail offers no excuses for debacle (07 November 1998 )

07 November 1998

Sohail offers no excuses for debacle

The Dawn

KARACHI, Nov 6: Pakistan skipper Aamir Sohail offered no excuses after his side's 86-run debacle in the first One-day International against Australia at the National Stadium on Friday.

Speaking to reporters at the post-match briefing, Sohail said that Pakistan were thoroughly outplayed by their opponents since the combinations planned for this match failed to click.

"We have been trying various combinations at the top of the order but they have failed to come off," lamented Sohail. "We have not getting consistently good starts which has put severe pressure on the middle-order batting."

Sohail emphasised the need of a regular opening pair to get the desired results. He mentioned that Saeed Anwar was labelled as one-day player but with the passage of time, Saeed has become one of the best players in the world in both forms of cricket.

Commenting on the axing of pinch-hitter Shahid Afridi for the Peshawar game on Sunday, the skipper said it was purely a decision taken by the selectors.

Sohail, however, added that the spate of injuries to key players has actually been the main reason of poor performance by Pakistan.

A worried-looking Pakistan coach Javed Miandad said that it will take a couple of years before Pakistan can come up with a winning combination. "At the moment we are in the rebuilding stage. That's why we are trying out youngsters."

But when pointed that the recalling of Salim Malik for the second match is a step backward, the former Pakistan captain pointed out that the selectors took that decision.

To a query whether he will make a comeback as a player, Miandad said that he no such plans and would rather stay as a coach.

However, both Sohail and Miandad felt the need of a proper cricket academy to groom young players for the future.

Australian skipper Steve Waugh was, naturally, a delighted man when he said that the result was the ideal tonic for his team.

Waugh praised the batting of Darren Lehmann, Michael Bevan and Adam Gilchrist on a pitch that was excellent for a one-day match.

When asked whether he would have put Pakistan in had he won the toss, Waugh quipped: "No way. I would preferred batting first to put a big score which we eventually got to put Pakistan on the mat." Waugh added that Australia will go into the next game with the same winning team.

Source :: The Dawn (www.dawn.com)