December 12, 2007	Wednesday	Zilhaj 1, 1428

BANGALORE, Dec 11: Pakistan coach Geoff Lawson still believed that his side could win the final Test here and deny India their first Test series triumph over the arch-rivals on home soil for 28 years.

Lawson, the former Australian fast bowler who was appointed as Pakistan’s coach last July, reckoned that if his bowlers were able to take the remaining eight Indian wickets on the final day, then it was still possible for his side to press for victory.

“We require eight wickets tomorrow (Wednesday) and our main aim will be to get them as quickly as possible. But if India set us a target then we will go after it. There is no point playing for a draw,” he told a press conference on Tuesday after India closed the fourth day at 131-2 to hold an overall lead of 220 runs.

“If they set us something like 320 in 68 overs, we’ll definitely go for the chase rather than holding ourselves back.”

Lawson lauded fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar for firing on all cylinders.

“It was very nice to watch Shoaib Akhtar bowl today. The first five overs were really quick. This pitch surprises me, the odd ball keeps low but it’s getting better and better. It did something on the first day but it has got better on the fourth day. Persistency is the key, Yasir [Arafat] bowled well on the first day. He got those three wickets quickly but the next two came after some time. It is nice to see a young fast bowler getting five wickets on his Test debut.

“And then we have had worries on the fitness front throughout the series. We came here straight after the South African series back home. Mohammad Asif was left behind because of his elbow problem. Because of the injuries, we were unable to play at our best. But you have to take the bad with the good. If Shoaib, for instance, had bowled around 25 overs in the first innings then I don’t think India would have managed 600 runs,” the coach claimed.

The 50-year-old Australian heaped praise on Pakistan’s unsung batting hero Misbah-ul-Haq, who hit an undefeated 133 in the first innings here.

“I’m really astounded that he hasn’t played much, but he has been simply outstanding in this series. He got 82 at Delhi before getting run out in farcical circumstances. Then he could have ended not out in the second innings of that game. After that he played a brilliant knock [161 not out] in Kolkata.

“This man has been magnificent and it needs an unplayable ball to get him out because he concentrates so hard and is a solid No 5 in my book. He has shown that he is a world-class player,” Lawson remarked.

He also applauded the bowling of young Indian pace bowler Ishant Sharma. “The lad bowled really well after his early problems. It was nice to see a bowler hitting the deck hard and could be handful on the bouncy tracks in Australia,” Lawson predicted.

Reiterating his earlier statements on the series between India and Pakistan, Lawson called for a five-match rubber in the future.

“The Indo-Pakistan battle is as big as the Ashes series between Australia and England. I think this (Pakistan-India series) needs to be a five-Test contest. It’s a bit unsatisfactory to have three Tests because it is always very tough to come back after losing the first match. India-Pakistan Tests are always great contests and deserved to be a five-match series,” he insisted.