Spirits flag but Pakistan seek consolation win

There was a flatness about Pakistan's practice at the National Stadium this morning, although by no means any negativity. Players jostled, warmed up, had one-on-one sessions and went through their routines but possibly with less intensity than at any stage of the series. Even Inzamam-ul-Haq's son was there - padded up, helmet on, ready to take on any bowler.

The flatness is not surprising; tomorrow's game is the first dead rubber match between the two sides for over five years and their Under-19 counterparts, locked in a tussle for supremacy at the World Cup final in Colombo, are likely to attract more headlines. As Inzamam admitted straight after the Multan defeat, motivating players, with a packed international schedule pending, is not so easy. But as he pointed out here, a 3-2 loss at least feels better than a 4-1 trouncing.

"The series is now decided but we still really want to win tomorrow. A win always helps as the pressure is always there. The players are under a little pressure although they should be able to handle it. Any win reduces the pressure a little."

Much of the pressure, for Inzamam at least, has come from the electronic media with a plethora of ex-players and coaches questioning, in particular, the Pakistan batting order. Three top-order collapses in Rawalpindi (68 for four), Lahore (82 for four) and Multan (29 for four) have effectively sealed the home side's fate. The criticism has centred on using Kamran Akmal as opener and Shoaib Malik at one-down and pushing the established trinity of Inzamam, Mohammad Yousuf and Younis Khan, lower down. As nonchalantly as he does to some bowlers, Inzamam swatted this away.

"So many people on so many channels are offering their advice, who can I listen to? Basically, we've played well over the last 15 months and our batting order, a similar one, has done well throughout that period. Sometimes the batting clicks and we must accept, sometimes it will fail."

The batting apart - and not many sides can match the sustained menace of India's batting line up on flat pitches - Pakistan's bowling and fielding has mostly been erratic. India's fielders may have suffered a blip at Lahore, where they shunned three offerings, but through the series they have comfortably surpassed standards set by Pakistan. "I think the fielding has been the main difference between the two sides. Sides that field well and take good, difficult catches will win matches. India has done that and we haven't and that has made a big difference," Inzamam reflected.

Defeat also brings with it some honesty. Having persistently denied that the toss held any significance for four matches, all of which were won by the side batting second (if not winning the toss), Inzamam agreed belatedly that the toss had indeed been important through out the series. "The toss was vital in previous matches, especially the last three. Their bowlers have taken advantage of the early morning help on these pitches. We are good at chasing but that is also dependant on the wicket."

At the end of it all, however, the fact that India has outperformed Pakistan demands acknowledgement. Their bowlers have bowled tighter lengths and lines, their batsmen have been more robust and clinical, their fielders more alert and their captain more innovative. Inzamam accepted it. "In ODI cricket it's difficult to speak of form but India have outclassed us through this series. They have played good cricket in all the matches and the credit for winning the series is ultimately theirs."

Pakistan are likely to put into use their rotation policy for tomorrow's game, but not quite in the way they envisaged it before this series began. The captain himself, with troubles of the back still fresh, might opt out and it's not unlikely that one or two of the bowlers are given a rest. Inzamam smiled about plans, pre-series, for rotation and rest: "It would have happened definitely at some point had we won the series. There are likely to be two to three changes for tomorrow but we haven't decided on the composition just yet."

The pitch, as it has done in recent Karachi ODIs, is likely to leak runs. Not many will forget the last occasion these two teams met here, when seemingly the whole city spontaneously goose-bumped, when 693 runs were scored and only five divided the two sides eventually. A similar number of runs can perhaps be expected tomorrow. But with certainty we know the atmosphere - so alive, sun-drenched and so bursting with amiable bloodlust two years ago - will be anything but.

Pakistan (probable): 1 Imran Farhat, 2 Kamran Akmal (wk), 3 Shoaib Malik, 4 Younis Khan, 5 Mohammad Yousuf, 6 Faisal Iqbal, 7 Abdul Razzaq, 8 Yasir Arafat, 9 Mohammad Sami, 10 Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, 11 Rao Iftikhar Anjum