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| June 20, 2003 | Friday | Rabi-us-Sani 19, 1424 |
England skipper Vaughan wary of Shoaib threat
LONDON, June 19: England one-day captain Michael Vaughan admits that facing Pakistan fast-bowler Shoaib Akhtar will be a challenge for his inexperienced side in Friday’s second One-day International at The Oval.
‘The Rawalpindi Express’ missed Pakistan’s two-wicket victory in the opening match of the three-game series at Old Trafford on Tuesday, where he completed a two-match ban for ball tampering.
But Shoaib is now available for Friday’s match and could form a potent new-ball attack with young paceman Mohammad Sami.
“We faced Shoaib in Cape Town (where England beat Pakistan by 112 runs in a World Cup match in February) and he was getting it around the 100 mph mark,” Vaughan told reporters on Thursday.
“With Sami at the other end that will be a challenge. But Shoaib went for a few (runs).
“Sami is short and the ball skids on. He was bowling around the 90 mph mark but he only took one for 53.
“They are top class bowlers but our batters have played them pretty well.”
Pakistan team manager Haroon Rashid said a decision on whether Shoaib plays would be left until the last minute.
“Shoaib is available but we have not decided on our team yet. We will have to inspect the pitch and assess the conditions on the morning but I know this is a bouncy pitch and good for fast bowling.”
Haroon admitted that his side, shorn of star names such as Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Saeed Anwar and Inzamam-ul-Haq, had almost thrown away victory on Tuesday before edging home with four balls to spare.
“It’s something we’ve spoken about. When you think you are cruising and then lose one or two wickets, the pressure is on,” Haroon said.
“But they handled the pressure well and the important thing is not to repeat that mistake.”
England’s major problem at Old Trafford was their batting.
After Vaughan had won the toss and seen his openers get off to a flier, the middle order collapsed as England finished on a below-par 204 for nine from their 50 overs.
“The key to one-day cricket is that the team where one batsman gets 100 usually wins. We had three or four guys who got into the 30’s but Mohammad Hafeez made 69 for them.
“But we had an inexperienced team with a couple of guys making their debuts in front of an 18,000 crowd which with all the Pakistani support, was like playing an away game.
“You have to be patient. You need a good year of international cricket to get the feel of it.
“Our team has only got 300 one-day caps between them and they have got 800.
“But when the pressure situations arose they all enjoyed it.”
But Vaughan admitted his team faced a tough challenge in squaring the series.
“They have got a few exciting batters and in Shoaib Malik, an off-spinner who can turn it the other way. They have always got unorthodox talents. “But we put them under huge pressure and they nearly faltered.”
Meanwhile, Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar will return to international action for Friday’s second one-day international against England at The Oval.
‘The Rawalpindi Express’ missed Pakistan’s two-wicket victory in the opening match of the three-game series at Old Trafford on Tuesday, where he completed a two-match ban for ball tampering.
But Pakistan captain Rashid Latif told AFP Thursday that the 27-year-old speedster would be back in action at The Oval - where victory would give the tourists an unbeatable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.
“Shoaib Akhtar is playing in place of Umar Gul,” Latif said.
However, the wicket-keeper/batsman stressed a Pakistan team without several star names were not pinning their hopes of victory solely on Shoaib’s slim shoulders.—AFP
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