LAHORE: Terming the overall performance of his team in the ICC Champions Trophy as satisfactory, coach Intikhab Alam on Monday stressed the need to improve batting and fielding — the two weak areas that led to Pakistan’s unexpected defeat at the hands of an unfancied New Zealand side.
The Daniel Vettori-led Kiwis overcame Pakistan by five wickets in the day-night semi-final at the Wanderers, Johannesburg on Saturday. Surprisingly, the same Pakistan team had overpowered arch-rivals India by 54 runs besides giving very tough time to world champions Australia earlier in the group-stage encounters.
‘I am satisfied with the overall performance of the team. However, if the boys had played with their full potential against New Zealand we would have featured in the final,’ Intikhab, a former Test captain, said while talking to reporters at the Lahore airport after the team’s arrival from South Africa on Monday.
Had Pakistan scored 20 to 30 more runs against New Zealand, it could have been a difficult target for them to chase, he reckoned.
‘We are focussing to improve our batting and fielding,’ Intikhab, a 47-Test veteran, added.
He further said though the players fared pretty well in the tournament, the semi-final loss after getting a good start caused them disappointment.
The coach revealed that captain Younis Khan, with his hairline fractured finger, played the semi-final upon doctor’s advice.
The coach declined to comment on the highly dubious lbw decision given by Australian umpire Simon Taufel in the semi-final against young emerging batsman Umar Akmal who was playing well on 55 after entering the arena to bat at number six with his team in trouble at 86-4.
‘I can’t comment on that [Umar Akmal] decision as the ICC rules prohibit me to do so. However, Younis has submitted a report to the match referee on the decision,’ he stated.
Taufel made a huge blunder by adjudging Umar Akmal lbw off Vettori at a crucial stage of the match with Pakistan at 181-5 in the 41st over, while the TV replay clearly showed that the ball had hit the batsman’s bat before touching his pad.
About axing paceman Mohammad Asif for the semi-final, the coach said the team management had decided to retain the winning combination that had defeated India.
He lauded the performance of all the pacemen namely Mohammad Aamir, Umar Gul, Rana Naved-ul-Hasan and Asif.
Meanwhile, as middle-order batsman Shoaib Malik expressed his scepticism over playing in the top-order in future, Umar Akmal said had he not been given out lbw wrongly Pakistan could set a tough target for the Kiwis in the semi-final.
Talking to reporters after the team arrived here on Monday, Malik said he never declined to open the innings during the Champions Trophy, but added that now he would focus more on strengthening his position in the middle-order.
Malik thought that Pakistan should have defended the total of 233 against New Zealand. To a question he denied that there were differences in the team, saying: ‘If the players had any differences the team could not have made the last-four stage [in Champions Trophy].’
Umar Akmal, who impressed many with his superb batting on the high-profile tour, said he would have been more delighted had Pakistan won the match against New Zealand.
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