WOOLMER- Press Articles 6th and 7th March

[Uzi]

INDIA SPIN TWINS HOLD KEY: WOOLMER

Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer believes it is vital that his batsmen cope with the Indian spinners in the first Test in Mohali.

While leg-break bowler Danish Kaneria is likely to be the only spinner in the Pakistan side, India will select both leg-spinner Anil Kumble and off-spinner Harbhajan Singh.

Kumble has taken 444 Test wickets, 15 of them in the three-Test series between the two sides last year, while Harbhajan has recently had his bowling action cleared by the ICC.

"It will be a huge challenge to confront the likes of Kumble and Harbhajan," Woolmer said. "It looks a good all-round cricket pitch. There's not a lot of grass and it looks as though it will turn later in the game."

In India's last victory at Mohali, against England in 2001, Harbhajan took five wickets in the first innings and Kumble six in the second and both are relishing their return.

"I just want to go there, bowl, get wickets and hopefully win matches for my team," said Kumble.

Harbhajan added: "I understand my role in the team and can't wait to begin my job of taking wickets."

India will pick two from three seamers - Zaheer Khan, Irfan Pathan and Lakshmipathy Balaji - after Ashish Nehra and batsman Yuvraj Singh were omitted from their 12-man side.

Captain Sourav Ganguly has confirmed that he will bat at five, one place ahead of VVS Laxman, while Gautam Gambhir will open with Virender Sehwag.

Ganguly's side won both the Test and the ODI series in Pakistan in 2004, but the captain said: "Every cricket player is a bit nervous before the start of the first Test. Things change as you get into the series.

"We're a very balanced side and most of us are on the peak of our game.

"They will be a young, competitive team," he predicted, and Pakistan skipper Inzamam belives his team's inexperience could be an advantage.

"Many feel we are not experienced, but we are capable of winning the series," he said, dismissing talk of payback for defeat at home last year.

"There is no scope for revenge in sport," he added. "However, we will try hard to win."

India (from): Sourav Ganguly (captain), Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, Dinesh Karthik (wicketkeeper), Irfan Pathan, Harbhajan Singh, Anil Kumble, Zaheer Khan, Lakshmipathy Balaji.

Pakistan (from): Inzamam-ul Haq (captain), Salman Butt, Taufeeq Umar, Shahid Afridi, Younis Khan, Yousuf Youhana, Asim Kamal, Kamran Akmal (wicketkeeper), Abdul Razzaq, Danish Kaneria, Mohammad Sami, Rana Naved, Yasir Hameed, Shoaib Malik, Arshad Khan.
Umpires: Daryl Harper and Rudi Koertzen. Match referee: Chris Broad.

SkySports.

[Saj]

Amjid Javed Posted: Sun Mar 06, 2005 8:52 pm

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Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer has urged his batsmen to do justice to their talent and show better application during their Test series in India.

Pakistan, playing their first Test series in India for six years, begin as underdogs due to their recent poor performances attributed mainly to inconsistent batting.

The teams will play three Tests and six one-day internationals. The first Test starts in Mohali on Tuesday.

"They need to do the basics right, bat for four-and-a-half hours," he said on Sunday. "That is something they've not been able to do of late."

Pakistan were routed 3-0 in their away Test series against Australia in January. They then lost 2-0 to the hosts in the finals of the one-day tri-series, also involving West Indies.

Woolmer said backing youngsters had helped his team still show some fight in Australia. "If you look at the successes we achieved, it was because of that tactic."

Woolmer took over last June after Javed Miandad was axed as coach following the home Test series defeat against India
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15.6 Saqlain Mushtaq to Tendulkar, OUT: that looked like the one which goes away from Saqlain and that is a blow India woud have done
without




raz Posted: Sun Mar 06, 2005 9:02 pm

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What else can he do? He cant go out and bat for them can he?
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A tiger from Karachi waiting to be unleashed! India beware!




Flirta-P Posted: Sun Mar 06, 2005 11:57 pm

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if the coach could bat 4 pakistan then bring back javed or make anwar coach.




kashif77 Posted: Mon Mar 07, 2005 12:00 am

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"apply" meaning stick around at the crease for as long as possible and hope for a draw???




Marooned Posted: Mon Mar 07, 2005 12:02 am

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Spending time at the crease. Sticking on once you get set. Getting scores of 150 plus. Things we haven't done in the past.
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PAKISTANI PRIDE !!! Posted: Mon Mar 07, 2005 1:01 pm

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yeah put price in wicket and be patient , runs will come !
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Mohammed sami future of pakistani pace bowling....




Awesome Anjum Posted: Mon Mar 07, 2005 2:05 pm

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All our batsmen have a tendenacy to throw away their Wickets , even when set. They need to occupy the crease, and the runs will come.
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Make us proud, boysie




Amjid Javed Posted: Mon Mar 07, 2005 28 pm

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Awesome Anjum wrote:
All our batsmen have a tendenacy to throw away their Wickets , even when set. They need to occupy the crease, and the runs will come.


AA bhai, cant agree more.

when eva we have a partnership. one batsmen goes and usually other set batsmen follows.

are batsmen always seem 2 get out just b4 or afta land marks. 50s and 100s.

sadly the days off pakistan players scoring 150+,200+ etc are long gone//
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[Saj]

adi 101 Posted: Sun Mar 06, 2005 5:50 pm

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It's early days in Pakistan's tour of India, but Inzamam-ul-Haq's side are already being considered a weak opposition. Critics are pointing out the inexperience factor in particular. But the Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer begs to differ - afterall, he says, the youngsters are brimming with confidence.

Woolmer disagrees with media views that Pakistan's top order failed on their recent trip to Australia. "That's an amazing decision by people who write and live outside the game," said Woolmer after the first practice session at the PCA stadium.

And, he felt that the team's decision to field youngsters was the correct one: "You look at the success we had in Australia," he said defiantly. "It was because we [played with inexperience]."

He went on to reject notions that Pakistan's failure in the final was attributable to their own tactics and said Australia were simply the better side. "In the first final (Glenn) McGrath bowled magnificently and in the second final (Brett) Lee bowled very well. In those situations the Australians played better than us and they were a better side than us.

"But the really exciting things is that we saw in those two games - and in the previous game in Perth - that we could beat them and we have the talent with us to do so, maybe not now but in a short period of time. And I say that guardedly because I know how cricket can bite you."

Woolmer, who took over as the Pakistan coach after India's tour of 2004, says there is a lot of talent in Pakistan. "They are potentially very, very fine players. We just have to give them the confidence to go out there and express their ability."

While he accepts there is pressure on him as a coach, he feels people can make too much of his role. "We get caught up in the `coach, coach, coach' thing all the time," he said. "The coach's job is to support the captain, the team and the country that he is coaching, and make sure that the process is correct." And that's an area where he felt the process was coming together, and he predicts it will come to fruition on this tour.

Woolmer was happy to learn that they have to choose the XI for the first Test in Mohali from a squad of 16. "We are picking the team from 16 for the first time in a long time. That is good news."

When asked if the in-form hit man Shahid Afridi would get picked, Woolmer was cautious. "We have got tough choices to make, I'll put it that way. That is a rather a nice thing to say because we are not quite sure what exactly the team for the right reasons. Not just because they are here but we got some good players who could play very well." Afridi's chances of playing the game at Mohali became slimmer when Woolmer said that he would play a specialist batsmen at No 6: that leaves a fight between Shoaib Malkik and Asim Kamal.

Woolmer is not concerned that another matchwinner, the pace bowler Shoain Akhtar, is missing from the team. "He can't weaken the bowling that's here because he's not here," he said simply. Woolmer knows the importance of this tour for his team and a how much a good start will make things easy for him. "It would help if we win it. If we draw, it's even better because we have a chance."
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Pakistan 2007 cricket world cup champions




Karachi King Posted: Sun Mar 06, 2005 6:39 pm

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good news that atlast he has identified that Test matches are the game of specialists & playing a specialist batsman at #6. it would be interesting to see who will be picked as i want Asim Kamal to play in the 1st Test. he deserves it.

the only concern i have is that will our bowling attack be able to take 20 wickets in 5 days!!! & the only way to find it out is to let them play.

Aneel




AmitMishra bowls wrongun Posted: Sun Mar 06, 2005 9:26 pm

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Malik will play. Noddybhai told us all about Kamal.
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Geordie Ahmed Posted: Sun Mar 06, 2005 9:36 pm

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AmitMishra bowls wrongun wrote:
Malik will play. Noddybhai told us all about Kamal.


how do you know?
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--HOWAY THE LADS--




PAKISTANI PRIDE !!! Posted: Sun Mar 06, 2005 9:51 pm

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yeah ?
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Mohammed sami future of pakistani pace bowling....




waqar-uk Posted: Sun Mar 06, 2005 9:57 pm

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No chance, as I keep on saying if Malik didn't have problem with bowling action he would be an automatic choice but purely as batsman against Asim Kamal who has an excellent record against India and has done well in the warm up will mean he is in. My only worry is our bowling will be thin wiith just sami, razzaq, rana and kaneria, but I guess its a risk they will have to take. one other option is Pakistan could take the gamble of banking on razzaq doing well with bat and playing either Afridi or Arshad to as 5th bowlers (thus banking on Razzaq, Afridi and Akmal to compansate for the 6th batsman)
My XI for Mohali are:
Taufeeq
Butt
Younis
Inzamam
Youhana
Kamal
Akmal
Razzaq
Sami
Rana
Kaneria




PAKISTANI PRIDE !!! Posted: Sun Mar 06, 2005 10:09 pm

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how is arshad as aspinner qualiti or not ?