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Sohail offers no excuses for debacle

The Dawn
07 November 1998



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: Dawn
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