da esport bet： Pakistan’s ever-nervy batting line-up was left to rue another poor displaythat left their side in considerable trouble at the end of the second dayat the MCG
Osman Samiuddin at the MCG27-Dec-2009
Intikhab Alam: “We have made things difficult for ourselves. It is still a very good batting track. Our openers did well, but then they threw their wickets away”•Getty Images
Pakistan’s ever-nervy batting line-up was left to rue another poor displaythat left their side in considerable trouble at the end of the second dayat the MCG. After Ricky Ponting’s positive declarationapproximately halfway through the day, Pakistan lost four wickets,including the crucial one of captain Mohammad Yousuf in the last over ofthe day, on what Intikhab Alam, their coach, later maintained was still ablameless surface.It continued a poor recent run of Test batting performances from the NewZealand tour, not helped by the continued absence of Younis Khan at onedown. Intikhab said Yousuf’s dismissal, given only after a review, wascrucial to determining the mood of the day. “He was out, no doubt aboutthat,” Intikhab said. “You could see it very clearly in replays. But itwas very sad, in the last over, a very important batsman. But we have madethings difficult for ourselves. It is still a very good batting track. Ouropeners did well, but then they threw their wickets away and this is not apitch where you can give wickets away when chasing 454. “Pakistan still have two recognised batsmen to come, and a potentiallyobdurate nightwatchman at the crease, and an unusually placid MCG trackled Intikhab to believe the game can still be saved.”Misbah is still there as is Kamran Akmal and the young Umar [Akmal], who is very exciting, is still there and Mohammad Aamer can bat as well. They have to stay at thewicket and try to get near this total. You can never tell in this game.Funny things happen. We just have to make sure that we stay at the wicketand fight it out. It is still a very good wicket.”I don’t think I have seen a wicket like this at MCG. It is a drop-inpitch, but I haven’t seen one like it. It is still good for batting. It isslow and not turning either. There is occasional bounce, but we would’veplayed two spinners here but [Danish] Kaneria got hurt and we have missed him inthis game.”After dropping two critical catches yesterday, Pakistan endured anotherclumsy day in the field. One catch was dropped and there were severalother fumbles as Nathan Hauritz and Michael Hussey took the innings awayfrom Pakistan.”Our fielding was very disappointing and it is the weakestdeparment of our game,” Intikhab said. “Had we taken two early catches itwould’ve been different. This is a grassroots problem in Pakistan andpeople don’t take it seriously enough, but we are trying. The problem hasbeen there for a very long time. We are trying to sort it out in Pakistanbut there is not enough emphasis on fielding at domestic level yet.”