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The second ODI between New Zealand and West Indies at McLean Park, Napier was called off after persistent afternoon rain left wet patches in the outfield

The Report by Devashish Fuloria29-Dec-2013Abandoned
ScorecardThe second ODI between New Zealand and West Indies at McLean Park, Napier was called off after persistent afternoon rain left wet patches in the outfield. The umpires inspected the ground at 5pm – two-and-a-half hours after the scheduled start – under sunny conditions, but deemed the outfield unfit for play. The play was finally called off at 5.20pm to boos from the crowd.A drizzle had greeted the teams before the start of the match, but the prospect of play diminished as soon as the downpour increased in intensity around 1.30pm, half an hour before the scheduled start.New Zealand are trailing 0-1 in the five-match ODI series. The teams will travel to Queenstown for the third ODI to be played on the New Year’s day.

A round-up of One-Day Cup matches played on October 28

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Oct-2013An all-round performance by Sialkot earned them a four-wicket win against Lahore Ravi in the opening Group 1 game of One-Day Cup in Lahore. Choosing to field, Sialkot bowled out Lahore Ravi in 40 overs, before their batsmen scripted key stands to overhaul the target with eight balls to spare.Sialkot’s chase of 194 was dominated by two stands – the first between openers Adnan Zaheer and Salman Ali for the first wicket, then, a 70-run stand for the sixth wicket between Naved Sarwar and wicketkeeper Ahmed Butt. The opening stand gave the team a strong platform before the batsmen conspired to throw it away, with five wickets falling for 40 runs. But Sarwar and Salman thwarted the Lahore attack to take the team on the doorstep of the win.Lahore had only one partnership of note – 65-run sixth-wicket stand between Zeeshan Ali and Adnan Danish – but Bilal Asif and Salman picked up three wickets each on either side of that stand to bowl Lahore out for less than 200.Karachi Whites’ No 10 Shahzaib Ahmed held his nerve to hit 15 runs off 12 balls to help the team clinch a nail-biter against Lahore Shalimar by one wicket at the Gaddafi Stadium. Chasing 220, Karachi were reduced to 206 for 9, but Shahzaid added an unbeaten 15 runs for the last wicket to thwart the home team. The chase, though, was set up by opener Fazal Subhan, who hit his first List A century. Fazal held up one end while regular wickets fell at the other. He shared a critical sixth-wicket stand of 82 with Ahmed Iqbal to bring Karachi back into the game after they had been reduced to 98 for 5 from 98 for 2. Lahore Shalimar’s innings had similarly been held up by opener Arsalan Ahmed, who scored 81, as the team scored 219 for 8 in their 45 overs.Wicketkeeper Javed Mansoor smashed a career-best 72* to help Karachi Blues script an easy five-wicket win against Abbottabad in Karachi. Chasing 210, Karachi were in trouble at 125 for 5, as Abbottabad’s Aziz-ur-Rehman picked up three top-order wickets, but Mansoor counterattacked and added an unbeaten 85 for the sixth wicket with Faraz Ahmed to push Karachi over the line. Mansoor’s innings was laced with 12 fours and took only 55 deliveries. Abbottabad’s innings had no such problems at the top, but their batsmen failed to take advantage of starts, four of them falling in their 30s. From 157 for 3, the team was bowled out for 209 as the lower order succumbed against Karachi bowlers. Usama Basharat and Faraz picked three wickets each in the innings.Quetta opened their campaign with a thumping eight-wicket win against Hyderabad in the Group II match played at the Niaz Stadium in Hyderabad. The home side was asked to bat but suffered early blows as three wickets went down before 50 were put on the board. Two more batsmen were dismissed before the team could score 100, before they eventually were bowled out for 164 in the 43rd over. Faizullah did the most damage with three wickets for 30 runs.Quetta’s response was solid as their batsmen put up strong stands. Shahzad Tareen was the top-scorer with an unbeaten 62 off 108 deliveries as Quetta overhauled the target in the 40th over with ease.Half-centuries by the openers Shoaib Nasir and Naved Malik helped Rawalpindi beat Bahawalpur by six wickets in Bahawalpur. Rawalpindi’s chase of 242 was built on the opening stand of 128 by the pair. Both scored at more than a run a ball – Nasir’s 65 coming off 62 balls and Malik’s 70 off 68. Rawalpindi lost only four wickets and chased down the target with nearly five overs to spare. Bahawalpur’s lone half-centurion was Mohammad Yasir, who scored 87 off 100 balls at No.3. Imranullah Aslam scored a quick 43 off 33 balls to help the side to 241, but it wasn’t enough.A century by Mohammad Shahid and a four-wicket haul by Fahim Ashraf helped Faisalabad to a five-wicket win over Multan at Iqbal Stadium. In a match reduced to 45 overs, Multan chose to field and made early inroads, leaving Faisalabad struggling at 48 for 4. Shahid was the mainstay, scoring 109 off 106 balls with 11 fours and two sixes. The next highest score was 28 by Mohammad Miqdad. The lower order pushed Faisalabad to 259 for 9. The Multan openers added 43 but lost quick wickets. They lost half their side for 92 and were eventually bowled out for 171 in 37.2 overs.

Coming off a disappointing T20 series, where Zimbabwe failed to figure out how to close out a chase, they held their composure and applied themselves better despite the short turnaround time

The Report by Kanishkaa Balachandran27-Aug-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsHamilton Masakadza ensured Zimbabwe held the edge with 85•AFPThe last time Zimbabwe beat Pakistan in any format was 15 years ago. Back then, Pakistan lost to arguably the most formidable Zimbabwe side in history – one that was capable of standing up to the best international sides. With the cricketing climate in the country having undergone a drastic change since then, any victory by current setup against a top side will be remembered for long. Coming off a disappointing T20 series, where Zimbabwe failed to figure out how to close out a chase, they held their composure and applied themselves better despite the short turnaround time.A strong opening stand of 107 between Vusi Sibanda and Hamilton Masakadza was the bedrock in their chase of 245. Having dealt with the seamers with ease during the T20s, Zimbabwe’s chances of victory hung on how they would perform outside their comfort zone. They looked ill at ease against the spin trio in the T20s but crucially, this time, they didn’t let the spinners run away with the advantage. Saeed Ajmal managed to strike, but the long interval between breakthroughs meant that Pakistan were always playing catch-up. In the closing stages, Pakistan had created enough pressure to bring the equation down to a run-a-ball, but a combination of poor fielding and freakish luck meant that it was Zimbabwe’s day.Before this match, Masakadza spoke about the importance of his duty, as an opener, to set the base and not allow pressure to build on the lower order. Back at the top, a position he is comfortable with, and with an opening partner from school days, Masakadza took the initiative by hammering Junaid Khan for three boundaries in an over. The openers were strong through the off side against the left-armers and the boundary barrage prompted captain Misbah-ul-Haq to bring in spin from both ends from the eighth over.The spinners managed to keep the runs down but wickets eluded them. Misbah used all five bowlers by the end of 12 overs and the breakthrough finally came in the 24th, when Sibanda stayed back to an Ajmal ball that spun back in. Masakadza reached his fifty the following over and continued to take on the spinners, sweeping Ajmal and reading Shahid Afridi’s variations. He chipped down the track and lofted Afridi over extra cover for six in an over that produced 13. The frustration showed in Pakistan’s fielding, when in that over, a drive back to the bowler which should have been stopped resulted in two runs.Masakadza fell during the batting Powerplay, smashing Ajmal straight to cover. It was only temporary relief for Pakistan because by then Taylor was set, having already hit four boundaries. Pakistan didn’t do themselves any favours in the field, though. A struggling Timycen Maruma tried to loft over long-on but Ahmed Shehzad was in two minds whether to catch or stop the ball and the ball bounced over his head for four. Taylor himself was let-off, on 37, when a reverse sweep went straight to point where Junaid dropped it.Luck was firmly in Zimbabwe’s favour. Maruma’s wobbly knock suggested that Zimbabwe were starting to panic, but Sean Williams, aided by some good fortune, ensured his side held the edge with a spicy cameo. An inside edge off Junaid hit the base of the stumps but miraculously, didn’t dislodge the bails. Worse still for Pakistan, it went for four. Williams sealed the win in style, smashing a six over midwicket to give Zimbabwe their first ODI win against a top team since October 2011.Pakistan, winning the toss, found runs hard to come by at the start due to steady seam bowling, recovered in the middle thanks to Mohammad Hafeez’s brisk half-century, and stumbled towards the end, failing to accelerate due to the pressure caused by the sudden fall of wickets. What prevented them from suffering a complete meltdown was Misbah-ul-Haq, who carried on his good form from the West Indies with his fourth consecutive fifty.It was a mixed day for Zimbabwe in the field. A series of drops at the start showed that the team had hardly made any progress on that front since the India tour. Mohammad Hafeez was a beneficiary of one of those drops, when on 10. He went on to score 70, but the pace of his innings was crucial, with Misbah not deviating from his tried and tested conservative approach in the middle overs.Hafeez found early momentum with three sixes off Prosper Utseya, down the ground, though he was lucky the second one wasn’t pouched at the boundary’s edge. Hafeez was strong through the off side, punishing the offspinners in particular. He picked 48 of his 70 runs off Utseya and Malcolm Waller, picking the large gaps square of the wicket on the off side.Pakistan struggled to maintain a healthy run-rate following that wicket. Umar Amin was run-out trying to complete a second run. Afridi played a typical blink-and-you-missed-it cameo before edging a slog. Haris Sohail was caught brilliantly by Utseya, who plucked a one-handed blinder at short cover – a catch good enough to forget the sitters put down earlier by Zimbabwe.Misbah’s innings had a high percentage of singles – he had scored only two fours till the 46th over, and yet had managed a decent strike-rate of 81.69. Yet, he saved his big hitting only for the final over, mowing Tinashe Panyangara for massive blows over the on side to take Pakistan to 244. It was well short of stretching the hosts, who are a win away from sealing the series.

MatériaMais Notícias

Desde fevereiro do ano passado, quando goleou o Jorge Wilstermann, da Bolívia, por 4 a 0, pela Libertadores, que o Vasco não vencia por três ou mais gols de diferença sem ter a sua defesa vazada. Ou seja, do ponto de vista do placar, há um ano que o Cruz-Maltino não conseguia unir solidez defensiva e volume ofensivo em uma mesma partida, goleando sem se descuidar atrás.

Contra o Resende, nesta quarta-feira, no triunfo por 3 a 0 que classificou o time para a final da Taça Guanabara, a equipe de Alberto Valentim conseguiu a tão sonhada atuação equilibrada. Com Yago Pikachu e Marrony combinando defensivamente com Raúl Cáceres e Danilo Barcelos, o Cruz-Maltino neutralizou as jogadas de lado do adversário. Principalmente as de Maxwell, artilheiro do Campeonato Carioca, que tentou se movimentar fugindo da marcação mas sempre encontrava um novo vascaíno.

Bem postado sem a bola, o Vasco, inclusive, bateu seu recorde de desarmes nesta temporada. Segundo o Footstats, foram 19 roubos de bola na partida, Marrony, autor do terceiro gol – que veio através de um desarme – foi o líder do fundamento, com cinco. Lucas Mineiro, com três, também teve o seu melhor desempenho no quesito desde que chegou ao clube, sendo um dos destaques do jogo.

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Em tempos onde muito se fala da posse de bola para controlar as partidas, o Vasco de Valentim fez exatamente o oposto. Após sair na frente com um gol de cabeça de Lucas Mineiro, a equipe deu a bola para o Resende, que terminou com 51,4% de posse. Confortável na vantagem e seguro na defesa, passou a explorar os contra-ataques, que só não foram mais efetivos em razão da noite pouco inspirada de Thiago Galhardo e Maxi López. Antes de sair na frente, o Cruz-Maltino chegou a ter 69,4% de domínio, mas abriu mão logo após o gol do volante, como mostra o gráfico.

Foi a mesma tática utilizada na vitória sobre o Fluminense, por 1 a 0, numa de suas melhores apresentações no ano. O que mostra uma facilidade maior do time em atuar de forma reativa, sem propor tanto o jogo, como foi contra o Juazeirense, por exemplo. Um estilo exatamente oposto aos de Fla e Flu, de onde sairá seu adversário na decisão.

O Resende tinha na velocidade e movimentação de seu atacante, que abre espaço para a chegada de meias e volantes, uma das armas para vencer o Vasco. Foi assim que a equipe resendense bateu o Botafogo e empatou com o Flamengo. Neutralizar essas ações foi o primeiro ato do time de Valentim que, a partir disso, construiu uma vitória tranquila e relativamente fácil. Mais do que isso: mostrou que há uma linha que pode ser seguida com êxito, exatamente se colocando como um contraponto de seus principais rivais na disputa estadual.

MatériaMais Notícias

Conselheiros de oposição à atual gestão do Santos FC buscam pressionar o presidente do Conselho Deliberativo do clube, Marcelo Teixeira, para dar celeridade ao afastamento do presidente santista, José Carlos Peres, que teve as contas da sua gestão em 2019 reprovada pela segunda vez nesta segunda-feira (03).

As mudanças estatutárias do Alvinegro Praiano no ano, para adequação ao Profut, programa de refinanciamento de dívidas no futebol brasileiro, abrem precedentes para que o Egrégio vote entre afastar e manter Peres enquanto a Comissão de Inquérito e Sindicância analisa o caso, que será assumido por ela já nesta terça-feira (04).

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A condição é diferente da vivida pelo mandatário santista em 2018, quando os conselheiros aprovaram o pedido de impeachment, reprovado em Assembleia de Sócios no mesmo ano. Naquela ocasião, Peres se manteve no cargo até a última instância, o que pode não acontecer dessa vez.

Para que o presidente do Peixe seja afastado, é necessário que, além de uma reunião extraordinária específica para tratar do caso seja agendada, pelo menos 150 conselheiros marquem presença e 2/3 deles sejam favoráveis ao afastamento.

Aproveitando o momento de pouco prestígio de José Carlos Peres, principalmente com a torcida, que recentemente, por meios das suas uniformizadas, protagonizou uma série de protestos contra o cartola, alguns até mesmo em frente ao prédio onde ele reside, com pichações pedindo a sua renúncia, o grupo de oposição tentará convencer a Mesa Diretora do Conselho a apressar a reunião extraordinária no intuito de afastar Peres o mais rápido possível.

Ainda que a votação para o afastamento ocorra em breve data, a gestão tem dez dias para apresentar a sua defesa a fim de manter-se até o encerramento do trâmite que pode até culminar no impedimento do Comitê Gestor. Contudo, com eleição presidencial prevista para dezembro, é capaz que o processo nem chegue ao final.

“He’s left a legacy within this team which will last not only this generation but generations to come.”

Deivarayan Muthu10-Nov-2021Matthew Hayden, the Pakistan batting coach, has singled out the late Dean Jones for special praise, on the eve of the second semi-final between Australia and Pakistan in the T20 World Cup in Dubai. Jones, the hero of Australia’s tied Test against India in Chennai, arguably made a bigger impact on one-day cricket, with his lively batting helping Australia to their first World Cup victory in 1987.After ending his playing career, Jones went onto become a commentator and coach. He was a particularly prominent figure in the Pakistan Super League (PSL), where he would often be spotted writing notes in his famous red book.Related

• Hayden, Philander appointed Pakistan coaches for T20 World Cup

• Dean Jones, ODI batting pioneer, dies aged 59

Jones was in charge of Islamabad United when they secured the PSL titles in 2016 and 2018. He then took over as Karachi Kings’ head coach for the fifth season of the tournament that was halted before the playoffs due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Jones, however, died suddenly after a heart attack in September 2020, when he was a commentator in India for the IPL.”I want to make a special mention of my former team-mate and colleague and that is Dean Jones,” Hayden said during a virtual media interaction. “He gave a lot of himself to Cricket Australia but also a lot of himself to Pakistan cricket. His closing words to me I can hear in my ears: ‘These are my boys and this is something I’m so passionate about’.”He was just beautifully connected to Pakistan cricket and may he rest in peace now, knowing the fact that he’s left a legacy within this team which will last not only this generation but generations to come. If I can add value to those closing comments from Deano, that will be my greatest honour.”Although Hayden was only roped in for this T20 World Cup in the UAE, he has seen enough promise in the main team – and the reserves – that will serve Pakistan cricket well in the future.”It is obvious that I’ve been with the team [for] a very short time, which has meant it has been really important to have a heart connect with the players, the administrators and also the management team,” Hayden said. “I felt that has been achieved and I felt in many ways that was my individual and personal aim throughout throughout this tournament to get a sense of the commitment of all the layers within the game and Pakistan in Pakistan. And understand one of the most beautiful things and that is that raw talent and talent is there in abundance for Pakistan cricket. And [with] right leadership and mentoring and guide, this side has got possibilities, as it has shown in five matches so far, to take on anyone.”Hayden also likened the immense pressure surrounding the India-Pakistan clash to the Ashes and credited the Pakistan side for pulling off a tone-setting victory against India in their tournament opener.”The highlight and the obvious eye will go to the first game that we played here in Dubai, where we are playing tomorrow night,” he said. “Just how under immense pressure…pressure that I’ve never understood till I was inside the dressing room and only comparable of course to England-Australia Ashes series. Just how these boys wonderfully handled [the situation] every calmly and confidently – their approach to playing such a huge match.”I think that game really set us up for what has been a really lovely four weeks of solid work, great commitment to training and great purpose in general and a wonderful heart connect to Islam and how spirituality has played its role within the Pakistan team as a great guide and tool for everyone to come together. Very optimistic [of Pakistan’s future] and I see wonderful potential.”

In the end, the best team won. Not the team that played best in Brisbane or Adelaide. But unquestionably the team that dictated proceedings in Perth, and the team that before this series started, and after it ended, were ranked No.1 in the world. The gap between South Africa and Australia may not be enormous, but over the past few days at the WACA, Graeme Smith’s men showed Michael Clarke’s players why they have reached the top.By owning the second day of this grand final, South Africa owned the series, and the Test championship mace that went with it. By dismissing the Australians for 163 on a good batting pitch, Dale Steyn and his colleagues made the previous 11 days of the series irrelevant. Australia were four wickets from victory at the Gabba, but would South Africa have played the same way if the second day hadn’t been washed out? The hosts were two wickets from a win in Adelaide, but South Africa were good enough to deny them.And when the Australians had to dig themselves out of a hole in Perth, they were unable to. The bowlers found the going tough as the South Africans piled up 565 in the second innings, but the damage was done when Australia had batted. In defeat, Australia’s captain Michael Clarke conceded that his side had failed to make use of the upper hand they held so often in the series.”I don’t want to take anything away from South Africa,” Clarke said. “They showed why they’re the No.1 Test team in the world. On the other hand I want to pay credit to the Australian boys to be able to fight it out so tough and stay strong up until this Test match. What South Africa showed us is when they had momentum, they ran with it for as long as they possibly could and when they didn’t have [it], they did everything in their power to fight their backsides off to try and grab it back.”There’s probably a few occasions throughout the series where we had momentum and didn’t run with it for long enough, that’s for sure. Against these teams, the best teams, you can’t afford to do that … There’s plenty of pros and cons and that’s something we need to do over the next few days, to assess where we continue to improve and the positives we can take from this series, the areas we need to get better if we want to be the No.1 team in the world.”One of those areas is glaringly obvious. The failure of Australia’s top three to provide consistently strong starts is becoming a major problem. In this series, Australia’s totals at three wickets down were 40, 55, 91, 34 and 102. That makes life tough for the middle order, and for the bowlers who must then keep the opposition in check in the same way. At the WACA, that was too much to ask of an attack featuring Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Johnson, debutant John Hastings and Nathan Lyon.”I don’t want to take anything away from the Australian bowlers, I thought they bowled really well in the first innings and tried their backside off on a flat wicket in the second innings,” Clarke said. “I believe the reason we didn’t give ourselves the best chance of winning this Test match is because of the way we batted in our first innings.”The missed opportunity to reclaim the No.1 Test ranking hurt the Australians even more given they wanted to provide Ricky Ponting with a fitting send-off. The challenge for Clarke and Australia’s coach Mickey Arthur is now to move on to the Sri Lankan series that begins next week, and to find inspiration without their most capped player being part of the setup.”It’s been a tough week, that’s for sure,” Clarke said. “I still don’t think it’s hit the players fully yet. I think it will come the first Test against Sri Lanka when we walk out on the field and see he’s not there. It’s not just about what he does on the field, it’s also off the field, around training sessions, in the change-room, his help, advice, guidance, is something that can’t be replaced.”Like Clarke, Ponting endured a series loss to South Africa at home when he was captain. Four years ago, Smith’s men chased down 414 in Perth, one of Test cricket’s most epic achievements, and it set up their winning tour. Within a year, they were the No.1 team in the world. Another Perth triumph has kept them there.

The Trinidad & Tobago sports minister has said Kieron Pollard, Dwayne Bravo and Sunil Narine, will play for T&T in the Champions League T20 instead of their IPL teams

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Jul-2012

The Trinidad & Tobago sports minister has said that allrounders Kieron Pollard and Dwayne Bravo, and spinner Sunil Narine, will play for T&T in the Champions League T20 this October instead of their respective IPL teams, in contrast to previous seasons. However, their team affiliation at the tournament is likely to be debated further before being confirmed, with the franchises expected to fight for the three players.Pollard was part of Mumbai Indians’ winning squad in 2011, while Bravo played for Chennai Super Kings. Both franchises have qualified for the CLT20 again this year. Narine played for T&T last year, but has also made it through with Kolkata Knight Riders in his maiden IPL season, in which he was named player of the tournament.According to , Anil Roberts, the minister of sport, said an agreement had been reached with the three players to turn out for their national team and not their IPL franchise. CLT20 rules allow players to pick the team they wish to play for and in the past players had chosen their IPL franchises, which then compensated the players’ home teams.However, the Knight Riders team director, Joy Bhattacharjya said on Twitter that the franchise’s chief executive, Venky Mysore, had indicated Narine would play for his IPL franchise.Roberts said the players were close to signing a Memorandum of Understanding and following that the details of the individual contracts would be worked out. “All three players have said they want to play for Trinidad & Tobago. The government of Trinidad & Tobago have said they will match their fees, so that they will not lose anything.”We want the best team. Some of the Indian teams, the owners are obviously a bit upset because they would love to have Sunil Narine, Pollard and Bravo but I told them quite upfront that we are being professional, that we are not holding anything in secret. We are not going to wait until the last minute and then steal the players from under them.”Roberts also said he had spoken to the franchises to explain the government’s position. “I also explained to them, because some of them are quite upset … I said, ‘please for a moment, just picture Mahendra Singh Dhoni or Sachin Tendulkar or [Suresh] Raina deciding or contemplating to play for a club ahead of India. I don’t think that would even be a choice. I don’t think they would even be able to set foot in their land of their birth if ever they even consider disappointing their countrymen and their country by playing for club for money’.”So while they may be upset, I tell them I am very sorry they are upset, but the [T&T] population wants our best players, the government wants our best players. The players want to play for Trinidad & Tobago and they will play for Trinidad & Tobago.”T&T topped their qualifying group in part thanks to the performances of Narine and fellow spinner Samuel Badree, but narrowly failed to qualify for the semi-finals. T&T will play the qualifying tournament again this year.

Pakistan began their two-week conditioning camp in Lahore

Umar Farooq16-May-2012Dav Whatmore, Pakistan’s head coach, has said that his team will be sternly tested during their tour of Sri Lanka which begins on June 1.The Pakistan players began a two-week conditioning camp in Lahore on Wednesday to prepare for the upcoming tour. They started with a fitness session in the morning at the National Academy and a net session at noon in Gaddafi Stadium.With temperatures in Lahore touching 40C, Whatmore said he hoped his players would find it easy to acclimatise themselves to similar conditions in Sri Lanka. “It’s pretty warm out here as well but it will be easy for us to acclimatise (to Sri Lankan conditions),” Whatmore said. “We’re lucky to do a bit of work in the heat in the morning and a little bit in the afternoon.”Some of the bowlers and batsmen have been working out in the heat to ensure we are prepared. I think we have to prepare properly for a series against a strong opposition.”Pakistan announced separate teams for each format for the upcoming tour and Whatmore said he was satisfied with the selection process.”I am happy to see that players are being selected based on their suitability to a format. As far as leadership is concerned, it’s not up to me and I will support what the PCB decides.”He also backed the inexperienced players selected for the tour. “There are one or two changes in the squad and that’s a good thing as by keeping exactly the same squad we would be marching on the same spot, but we must move forward all the time.”Whatmore, who has had two stints as Sri Lanka’s coach in the past, said he was expecting batting-friendly pitches in Sri Lanka. “We are not expecting anything different. The limited-overs pitches [in Sri Lanka] are good for batting.”

Misbah-ul-Haq says the pressure of a Pakistan-India clash also afforded players the opportunity to put in memorable performances

Siddarth Ravindran in Dhaka17-Mar-2012One of the defining features of Misbah-ul-Haq’s captaincy has been his attempts to bring in stability and keep out controversy from Pakistan cricket. His press conferences are an extension of that. Unlike other players who usually answer looking at the journalist who asked the question, Misbah prefers to stare straight ahead as he speaks. He stays away from big statements, and rarely betrays any expression.One of the rare instances that he did was when a journalist brought up his batting against India in last year’s World Cup semi-final, a source of much heartburn in Pakistan. “You are reminding me of that, and trying to put more pressure on me?” he asked with a big smile.Pressure was an oft-repeated word during his press conference. During the World Cup, MS Dhoni had tried to defuse that buzzword, saying “we have changed the meaning of pressure to responsibility.”Misbah used a different tactic. “There is always pressure when India and Pakistan play each other, but it is also a good chance for the players to prove themselves,” he said. “The way people remember performances in these matches, if you do well it is a great confidence booster, and gives great satisfaction.”Pakistan have also tried to keep media interactions to a bare minimum in order to ensure there are no unnecessary problems, even skipping the traditional pre-match presser before the game against Sri Lanka (they are not mandatory in the Asia Cup).The previous time India and Pakistan faced each other, in Mohali, the hype and build-up was so huge that some wondered whether the World Cup final would be a sort of anti-climax. This time around, Bangladesh’s rousing win over India, Sachin Tendulkar’s 100th hundred and the tight schedule have all combined to prevent Sunday’s match from becoming an all-consuming focus.Pakistan’s players have been asked about the India game in pretty much every press conference, and their views were summed up by Mohammad Hafeez. “This is just a game and we will take it as a game and we will try our level best to win the game, that’s it.”Hafeez suggested a couple of times that the pressure will be less on Pakistan as they have already qualified, though technically they aren’t through yet. A bonus point win for India, and a similar victory for Bangladesh over Sri Lanka will take things down to net run-rate.What will help Pakistan though is the backing of the crowd. A full house is expected, and the locals will get right behind Pakistan as a win for them will boost the home side’s chances of progressing. “We always enjoy playing in Bangladesh and the Bangladesh crowd has always supported us whenever we play against any other country.”The match has been built up as a clash between India’s batting strength and Pakistan’s bowling might. Hafeez was not too bothered by worries over Pakistan’s batting. “It’s a blessing for us that all of the players are in good form, like in the first game the openers did the job for Pakistan. Then, in the last game the way Umar Akmal and Misbah finished the game for us, that was a real positive sign that everybody’s in good nick.”The only mildly controversial statement in the presser was when Hafeez repeated Mushfiqur Rahim’s assertion about India’s bowling. “I personally feel that their bowling attack is not in good form at the moment, so we are going to try and exploit that weakness and demoralise their attack.”After slipping up against Bangladesh, India’s bowlers will do well to heed Misbah’s words when asked about his Mohali batting. “I think as a player it is better to not think too much about your past performances, whether they led to a win or a loss, and it is better to focus on the matches to come; thinking about what happened previously will only increase the pressure.”