Bob blasts 'spineless' Pakistan

Bridgetown, Barbados - Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer has blasted his batsmen after the West Indies sealed a convincing 276-run first Test victory with more than a day to spare on Sunday.

Woolmer said the catalyst for the defeat was Pakistan being bowled out for 144 in their first innings.

"I thought we were spineless on that particular day with our batting," he said. "It's something we'll address in the next few days."

Pakistan, overnight 113 for four in their second innings, were out for 296 just after lunch on day four despite 122 from Shahid Afridi. The two-Test series resumes with the final Test scheduled to start in Jamaica on Friday.

"It's not like the guys are out of form. They have been playing well," added Woolmer, a former England batsman. "It's just that they got themselves out very stupidly. There seemed (to be) no spirit, no fight at the crease which is surprising really."

Woolmer acknowledged a dressing room incident involving two players, saying it may have deflated the team to an extent. The Pakistan media has reported that Afridi and captain Younis Khan argued heatedly on the Test's first day, apparently because Afridi was upset about his placement in the batting order.

Mountain out of a molehill

"It was all over the Pakistan press, who made a mountain out of a molehill," Woolmer said. "That might have affected them psychologically, but there is no excuse really to go out there and play the way they played."

Both Woolmer and West Indies coach Bennett King acknowledged that the loss of Pakistan's two leading batsmen, Inzamam-ul-Haq and Yousuf Youhana, weakened the visitors.

Inzamam was serving a one-match International Cricket Council ban while Youhana flew home to Pakistan Thursday to be with his ill father.

"It was a bonus for us to have two world-class players not in their side and we're under no illusions that they could be back for the next Test," King said.

The victory was the first for King in his fifth Test in charge of the West Indies, which had also lost eight one-day matches in a row before this match.

"It's quite relieving I guess," the 40-year-old Australian said. "The boys have really worked hard and deserve to win today."

King credited his bowlers, who he said have worked hard behind the scenes to get the reward.

"I don't think we're there yet and my smiles doesn't mask the hard work that we still have to put in," King added.


link : http://www.news24.com/News24/Sport/C...713247,00.html

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Woolmer acknowledged a dressing room incident involving two players, saying it may have deflated the team to an extent. The Pakistan media has reported that Afridi and captain Younis Khan argued heatedly on the Test's first day, apparently because Afridi was upset about his placement in the batting order.


hmm...

I remember a comentrator prob Rameez commenting about some sorta rift in the dressing room; I hope they work everything out.

you know guys in every sports and in every company there are disputes. that is sometimes good it sharpens the whole team. You can see that the team wants to win. Butthe press makes it more than it is. broken nose are they crazy. i did not see it at all younis khan's broken nose. But i did think there would be some tension going on. We did not look like a team this test. But inshallah allah will give them some akkal then we can draw the series.

ohhhhh boy! its wasim v waqar et all !!!!

If afridi was arguing with the captain i say we should ban him for the next test! Younis was captain and afridi( even though he was the only one who showed any balls out there) should respect his authority!

If we allow such insubordination to continue it'll get worse!!!

Inzimam is the real captain no matter what. if he is suspended inzamam must have the last word. younis khan does not have that much experience

i understand but while he's captain he should be respected! im a massive afridi fan but dicipline should come 1st!

yes u are right. but let's hope such thing never happened. just a difference in opinion maybe

hope u r right! we dont need this! hope someone nips this prob in the bud!!!!

woolmer can jus eep watching his mujra cd's...
first of allplz do something with the noball problem....then the poor fielding..and then the diciplinary problems...tere r fights every day

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these things happen........ i guarantee u, with inzi n yoyo( hopefuly hes bak ) in the lineup, it'l lbe completely different... i think its juz cuz younis was nervious, in his first test as captain

Apparently Inzi is still not happy about Younis being appointed as the VC and still wants Youhana in that position. Afridi wasnt happy about his batting position and Popeye was angry that Younis gave Rao the bowling in the final overs of the last game, he wanted to bowl at the death. This is turning into a Wasim Akram story, he used to oust all other captains just like this, gang up on them and force the team to lose badly then that player would be ousted. Coming back to the topic, Our batting seemed pathetic and im not sure if these guys deserved to be called cricket players, they looked like a bunch of ducks flapping their wings out there. I hope they can muster some sort of confidence ahead of the next game in order to win it, its a do or die situation.

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Woolmer vows to bounce back in final Test:

First innings collapse let us down, says Younis

By Muhammad Ali

BRIDGETOWN (Barbados): Stand-in captain Younis Khan on Sunday said Pakistan lost the Barbados Test due to a below average batting performance in the first innings. “Our batting was not up to the mark and that made the difference in the end,” he told reporters in the post match press conference. He said had Pakistan crossed 300 in the first innings the result would have been different. “I am really disappointed,” he added.

“Pakistan also suffered due to the absence of senior players Inzamamul Haq, Yousuf Youhana, Shoaib Akhtar and Shoaib Malik. But we fought in the second innings and did not cave in meekly.” He was all praise for all rounder Shahid Afridi for hammering a dazzling ton. “There were three good innings in the match from Brian Lara, Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Afridi. Lara has his own class but Afridi’s valiant 122 was scored under pressure and it was brilliant. We lost the game but battled all the way. Look, it was a great fight back from 47 for four to score 296 with a fighting half century from Asim Kamal and good 41 from Abdul Razzaq,” he said.

He said the team management took the decision to send Afridi down the order in the second innings. He denied that there were any rifts in the team members. “All such talk is baseless and rubbish. The spirit in the team is excellent and very high and in fact they displayed it through their fight back in the second innings.”

Younis also defended leg spinner Danish Kaneria. “Kaneria was up against five left-handers in the West Indies line-up and it was difficult for a leg-spinner to bowl against them. It was not easy to bowl against Lara and Chanderpaul, who are quite good against spinners. He bowled under difficult circumstances.” He asserted that his side had not lost confidence. “We are very high on confidence. Failure makes you more responsible. Our defeat in the first Test has made us realise that we have to play with more responsibility in the second Test. We need to score big to draw the series,” he said. Refusing to attach too much importance to the catches dropped by his fielders, he said that was part of the game.

Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer vowed to bounce back in the second Test starting in Jamaica from June 3. “We were simply outplayed by the West Indies. We didn’t play Test cricket well enough.” He said Pakistan would try to play better cricket in the final Test to draw the series. “We have got to be more consistent and play a better brand of Test cricket. It was also difficult without Inzamam and Malik. And Youhana had to leave for home.”

He said the players had to adjust to the situation after the one-day series. “We have got to learn how to change to different situations.” He said Afridi played a wonderful innings. “It was an amazing innings. Had Afridi stayed there till tea we would have been in a winning position.” Woolmer avoided a straight answer when asked whether he expected the Pakistani batsmen to capitulate so easily in the first innings, particularly after winning the one-day series. “I don’t expect anything in cricket. I don’t have a crystal ball. You play one ball at a time. That’s how it is,” he said. He refused to comment on a few controversial umpiring decisions but supported the introduction of technology to help the umpires.

link : http://dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp...1-5-2005_pg2_1

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The Captain on THE DAY has final say, because he is responsible for a win/loss. Not the puppit Inzi.
NO PLAYER IS BIGGER THEN ETHICS PERIOD.
No doubt inzi is better as a player then younis hand down, but ethics win over class

This is sad Inzi is trying to take advantage of drawing a test series with india. I mean yeah he has improved but there is no room for this useless friction. He is a senior player and should mend fences rather than seperate them.