Pakistan aim to seal ODI series
Tourists hope to extend unbeaten run against India at Eden Gardens in 2nd match today.
Misbah would be hoping for Pakistan to continue their unbeaten run against India at the Eden Gardens when they take on them in the 2nd ODI today. PHOTO: BCCI
KOLKATA:
India have never beaten Pakistan in an Eden Gardens One-Day International (ODI).
The wins came in 1987, 1989 and 2004 and given the bleak chance of a full match in Delhi on Sunday, four is the number captain Misbahul Haq is looking at.
Pakistan eased past India’s 227 in Chennai after lethal swing and seam by Junaid Khan early in the day. Seeking a series-win after a 3-2 loss in 2007 – the last time Pakistan toured India for a full series – Misbah knows performance, and not complacency with form and statistics, is key to lifting the trophy.
“An India-Pakistan series is always important and it’s not important to remember who has a better record,” said Misbah, ahead of the second ODI in Kolkata today.
“This series is very important for us and we’re prepared to give in our all to win it. Obviously, we’ll be confident and coming into the match with good morale since the team and the players have good memories at Eden Gardens. It helps where teams have good records but you need to remember that every match is a new match and you need to give it your 100% to win.”
Irfan’s the man, says the captain
While rain looks a possibility today – there was a cloud cover over Kolkata yesterday – Misbah is once again resting his hopes on young fast-bowlers to give him a good start in the field.
Junaid Khan – who was surprisingly overlooked for the Twenty20 series with Sohail Tanvir preferred over him – and Mohammad Irfan gave away just 29 runs in the first 10 overs in Chennai while also dismissing half the Indian side.
While Wahab Riaz’s inclusion in the playing-XI is a possibility, given that he is more experienced bowling at the death than Irfan, the latter’s ability to deliver at awkward height remains a huge advantage for Pakistan, according to the captain.
“Irfan is ideal for ODIs. The Indian batsmen are very aggressive and like to attack in the first 10 overs. That is where Irfan makes all the difference. The unusual bounce that he generates due to his height is a huge, huge advantage for us and gives us the edge at the start of the innings. He gives us breakthroughs and stops the normal flow of runs — that’s perfect.”
Today’s match will be Pakistan’s first at the revamped Eden Gardens where the capacity has been reduced to 67,000 as part of its development ahead of the 2011 World Cup. While spectators were queuing up for last-minute tickets yesterday, Misbah waived off any affects the huge crowd could have on Pakistan.
“It’s good to play in front of huge numbers but when you’re in the middle, your entire concentration is on what is happening on the field, not outside it. Even in this iconic series, there were nerves and a bit of pressure early on but now we’re settled so I don’t think the crowd’s reaction will make any difference to us.”
The third and final ODI is scheduled to take place in Delhi on Sunday.
Misbah
“I don’t think not being able to score a century is bothering me too much. Winning is more important and if I’m contributing with 40s, 50s and 60s, I think that’s my job done there as a batsman.”
Published in The Express Tribune, January 3rd, 2013.
India have never beaten Pakistan in an Eden Gardens One-Day International (ODI).
The wins came in 1987, 1989 and 2004 and given the bleak chance of a full match in Delhi on Sunday, four is the number captain Misbahul Haq is looking at.
Pakistan eased past India’s 227 in Chennai after lethal swing and seam by Junaid Khan early in the day. Seeking a series-win after a 3-2 loss in 2007 – the last time Pakistan toured India for a full series – Misbah knows performance, and not complacency with form and statistics, is key to lifting the trophy.
“An India-Pakistan series is always important and it’s not important to remember who has a better record,” said Misbah, ahead of the second ODI in Kolkata today.
“This series is very important for us and we’re prepared to give in our all to win it. Obviously, we’ll be confident and coming into the match with good morale since the team and the players have good memories at Eden Gardens. It helps where teams have good records but you need to remember that every match is a new match and you need to give it your 100% to win.”
Irfan’s the man, says the captain
While rain looks a possibility today – there was a cloud cover over Kolkata yesterday – Misbah is once again resting his hopes on young fast-bowlers to give him a good start in the field.
Junaid Khan – who was surprisingly overlooked for the Twenty20 series with Sohail Tanvir preferred over him – and Mohammad Irfan gave away just 29 runs in the first 10 overs in Chennai while also dismissing half the Indian side.
While Wahab Riaz’s inclusion in the playing-XI is a possibility, given that he is more experienced bowling at the death than Irfan, the latter’s ability to deliver at awkward height remains a huge advantage for Pakistan, according to the captain.
“Irfan is ideal for ODIs. The Indian batsmen are very aggressive and like to attack in the first 10 overs. That is where Irfan makes all the difference. The unusual bounce that he generates due to his height is a huge, huge advantage for us and gives us the edge at the start of the innings. He gives us breakthroughs and stops the normal flow of runs — that’s perfect.”
Today’s match will be Pakistan’s first at the revamped Eden Gardens where the capacity has been reduced to 67,000 as part of its development ahead of the 2011 World Cup. While spectators were queuing up for last-minute tickets yesterday, Misbah waived off any affects the huge crowd could have on Pakistan.
“It’s good to play in front of huge numbers but when you’re in the middle, your entire concentration is on what is happening on the field, not outside it. Even in this iconic series, there were nerves and a bit of pressure early on but now we’re settled so I don’t think the crowd’s reaction will make any difference to us.”
The third and final ODI is scheduled to take place in Delhi on Sunday.
Misbah
“I don’t think not being able to score a century is bothering me too much. Winning is more important and if I’m contributing with 40s, 50s and 60s, I think that’s my job done there as a batsman.”
Published in The Express Tribune, January 3rd, 2013.