LAHORE, April 7: Pakistan coach Javed Miandad expressed his happiness with the team's performance so far in the second Test against India but just stopped short of saying who was going to win.
"It's cricket and no one can say what will happen on the next ball. We are trying for a good result," Miandad told Dawn after the third day's play on Wednesday.
Asked what winning target he was expecting in the second innings, Miandad said that it all depended on the performance of his bowlers in the first hour of the fourth day andadded a quick dismissal of Indian opener Virender Sehwag would play a vital role in deciding it.
Asked if his side was capable to achieve any big target while playing the fourth innings, Miandad was optimistic. "The way our batsmen played in the first innings is evidence they know what the situation demands from them," he said.
The coach said that when Pakistan took 200-run lead he was not considering it enough seeing the past record ofthe Indian team in the second innings under the pressure situation, but his bowlers bowled well by removing the top order quickly.
He was all praise for Asim Kamal saying after Inzamamul Haq and Yousuf Youhana were out quickly in the morning, the prospects for a big lead were remote. But he added, Asim playedsensibly and helped Pakistan get an imposing lead.
While replying to a question about rumours of the appointment of a bowling coach, Miandad said that it was up to the PCB to take any decision in this connection, but hoped the board would move ahead in this connection for the betterment of Pakistan cricket.
It may be mentioned here in the past, Miandad had differed with the national chief selector Wasim Bari's proposal that the team needed a bowling coach. Meanwhile, Asim rated his innings of 73 better than his 99 against South Africa in debut Test last year.
"I played this knock when my team wanted it and I am happy for living up to the expectations," he said. Asim said that he had realised that his skipper Inzamam, Imran Farhat and Youhana could play well only because of their strategy to occupy the crease and he just emulated them.
