MULTAN, Nov 9: The Pakistani coach and captain say England’s defeat in a tour match on Tuesday and captain Michael Vaughan’s injury have given their team an edge before the first Test begins on Saturday.

Coach Bob Woolmer said that England’s defeat in the three-dayer to the Pakistan A side in Lahore was a psychological boost for his players.

“I am sure the senior players will take heart from the performance of their young team,” he said on Wednesday.

“The good thing about the performance of the young side is it came through under pressure after a close match,” he added.

“They showed what can be achieved with application and hard work.”

But he added that England had quality players and Test cricket was a different ball game from tour matches. “We can take inspiration from their defeat but not get lulled into complacency. We know it’s going to be a tough series.”

On England captain Vaughan’s probable absence from the first test through a knee injury, Woolmer said injuries were part of the game and it happened to every team.

“But Vaughan is an important player for them just as Inzamamul Haq is for us,” added the former England batsman.

Captain Inzamam said Pakistan could well benefit from Vaughan’s absence as he had played an instrumental role in England’s success in recent months.

“He is an inspirational leader and experienced batsman and he led them well in the Ashes series. His absence is a boost for us and we can take advantage of this situation”

“Any player replacing him has to come in and perform under pressure.”

Woolmer said Pakistan had the advantage of having a lot of variety and options in their 16-member squad for the first Test and were strong in both pace and spin.—Reuters