ABU DHABI: Mickey Arthur, Pakistan’s head coach, urged his players to keep their winning momentum intact as they prepare for the third One-Day International against Sri Lanka that will be played here on Wednesday.

Arthur, however, felt Pakistan’s overall performance wasn’t up to the mark.

“I was a bit disappointed with the overall performance in the second game,” Arthur told Wisden Pakistan. “I think the partnership between Babar (Azam) and Shadab (Khan) was good, but we lacked a little bit in the intensity in our overall performance. We were still good enough to win which was great.

“We bowled well to defend that low total,” said Arthur of his team’s bowling, led by Shadab’s 3 for 47. “I think our bowling was great but I was disappointed with our standard of fielding last night.”

Pakistan dropped as many as five catches, with Tharanga getting three lives. “It seemed that we have just taken the foot off the pedal. But the real positive was that the guys fought really well and fought for each other,” said Arthur. “The attitudes have been good and I cannot find fault the commitment and the work ethic of the team.

“I am hoping that we turn it around and put in a really good performance. It’s six in a row for us, which is great and we want to keep building on that and keep this winning record going for as long as we possibly can because this provides stability and provides us the confidence we need going forward.”—wisden.pk

Published in Dawn, October 18th, 2017