|
|
|
| November 26, 2006 | Sunday | Ziqa'ad 4, 1427 |
Lara seeks further improvement
KARACHI, Nov 25: The West Indies hope to turn the corner and end a run of poor Test performances when they meet Pakistan in the third and final Test on Monday.
Trailing 1-0 in the series, West Indies dominated the high-scoring drawn second test in Multan with their pacemen bowling with enough penetration and genuine speed to make their captain optmistic about the final test.
“I thought we played a tough match and were in control for most of it. We were aiming for a win in Multan and we will do that again in the final Test,” skipper Brian Lara said.
West Indies, who have lost 16 of their last 24 Tests since a home series win over Bangladesh in May, 2004, secured only their second draw in their last 13 Tests overseas.
In Karachi the visiting pace attack will have something to cheer about as historically the pitch at the National stadium is hard and assists sideways movement.
The last Test played at this venue earlier this year saw Indian southpaw Irfan Pathan taking a first over hat-trick and Pakistan's Mohammad Asif taking seven wickets in the match to steer Pakistan to a 341-run win.
The West Indian skipper said he was looking for the same consistent performance from his team as in Multan.
“We need to continue to play hard and try to keep the pressure on Pakistan when we get the opportunity. They have always been a hard side to beat at home,” Lara said.
Pakistan skipper Inzamam-ul-Haq said he was looking for more consistency from his team. “We fought back well in the second test as we were under a lot of pressure on the last two days. But it shows there is a lot of fighting spirit in the side,” he said.
Pakistan has recalled fast bowler Mohammad Sami despite his career average of more than 48. —Reuters
|
|
|
|
