November 23, 2006	Thursday	Ziqa'ad 1, 1427

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MULTAN, Nov 22: West Indies opening batsman Daren Ganga believes Thursday’s first session of the second Test would be crucial from his team’s perspective if they hope to square the series before the final Test in Karachi.

“We still believe we can win here even though the pitch is very placid. But wickets have usually fallen in the early part of the day and it’s a good opportunity to put Pakistan under pressure and level the series,” Ganga told a post-match press conference on Wednesday.

“The ball has generally moved around a lot in the morning session of play. Hopefully, the first session would set off things for us and we would be taking the field in an optimistic frame of mind tomorrow.”

Ganga pointed out that the second new ball, due after 14 more overs, was going to be a critical factor. “The second new ball is important for the West Indies to put pressure on the home side. The main objective would be to come tomorrow and push hard for victory,” the Trinidadian said. “However, we know it won’t be an easy job bowling out Pakistan on this flat pitch. We have to work very hard to get the desired results because we are in a position of strength in this Test match.”

On a personal note Ganga admitted he was disappointed to miss out on his century when he fell leg-before to Danish Kaneria for 82.

“Yeah, I was pretty upset at the fact that I have not scored a century away from the Caribbean. That was on my mind when I was batting here. I didn’t have any match practice before the Pakistan tour, having only played in the Sanford 20/20 final back home sometime ago.”

“I was very keen on spending a lot of time in the middle to get back into good nick. But as a team we have really batted well in Multan.”

He rated Multan Cricket Stadium very highly and remarked that he enjoyed playing here. “It’s wonderful place to play cricket. It is very nicely laid out. The guys have really enjoyed playing here. The stadium looks in beautiful condition and the atmosphere is great,” Ganga claimed. “The pitch here is similar to what we have in the Caribbean. In places like Guyana and Trinidad we have the same kind of pitches which suit the spinners.”