December 11, 2007	Tuesday	Ziqa'ad 30, 1428

BANGALORE, Dec 10: Shoaib Malik, the incapacitated Pakistan captain, made a surprise appearance at post-day’s play press conference at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium here on Monday.

Malik, who missed playing the second and third Tests after injuring his ankle at the end of the Delhi Test last month, startled the media personnel when he hobbled to the conference room, accompanied by the local media officer of the Pakistan team Javed Akhtar.

Looking sheepish, Malik tried in vain to defend the team selection for the Bangalore Test with Pakistan opting against playing five specialists for a match they must win to level the series.

“I don’t know why questions are being raised on this issue. This always happens and people usually say this was not the best selection. We have to think in the team context. Critics can say what they like,” he said.

When asked how he felt at missing out the last two Tests, he remarked: “I’m pretty disappointed to have missed out playing the entire series. I’m still not sure about the injury because until the plaster comes off, I can’t say much about that.

“I cannot afford to isolate myself from the team. As captain I’m here to back the players,” Malik emphasised.

To another question, Malik admitted he didn’t think series defeat was imminent.

“There are still two days to go in this Test, so how can I think of the series defeat. As the captain, I am still learning the art of leadership. Basically, the main cause of our poor showing has been fitness,” he said.

“But if we avoid the follow-on tomorrow (Tuesday), there is every chance of us bouncing back since the pitch is playing low and the bounce is inconsistent. We can still go for a win if we get quick runs and closer to the Indian total,” Malik added.