Cricinfo - Sohail urges PCB to get wickets prepared by curators (27 October 1998)

KARACHI, Oct 26: Pakistan captain Aamir Sohail has urged the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to appoint an expert to supervise the preparation of pitches country-wide while his counterpart Mark Taylor rued dropped catches that denied his team a 2-0 victory.

"I think it is time that the cricket board appointed an expert to supervise the preparation of sporting tracks," Sohail said in a post-match conference.

"It (wicket) wasn't a result-oriented one. There was nothing for the batsmen nor for the bowlers," Sohail said.

Mark Taylor endorsed Sohail's views on the wicket prepared for the third and final cricket Test when he said: "It was not a great Test pitch. It lacked bounce as the ball was not carrying through to the slips. It was as difficult to bat on it on the first day as on the last day."

"I think this wicket was being used for the third time in a month. I think the wicket was very dead on the first two days and got harder and harder," Taylor, who has won 10 series' out of 12 as captain, said.

Sohail was of the view that if sporting tracks were made, more cricketers would come up. "You have fast bowlers, spinners and batsmen. But don't have the wickets on which they can improve. You don't learn a thing by playing on these docile tracks," he said.

Sohail believed that injuries to key players made the major difference between the two sides. "I think, both the teams were evenly balanced. But Australia won the series because their players were physically in a better shape than ours.

"On the contrary, we didn't have the services of Waqar Younis at all. Then Wasim Akram and Mushtaq Ahmad had to miss a Test each because of fitness problems.

"We needed to be physically stronger to beat as composed and focused team as this one," Sohail, adjudged Man-of-the-Match, said.

He recalled that Australia had almost brought the same side which toured Pakistan in 1994-95. "But we beat them 1-0 because Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis and Mushtaq Ahmad played in the first two Tests of the three-match series."

Asked why he played an injured Inzamam-ul-Haq, Sohail said he was only batsman left in the 16 that were given to him. "Saeed Anwar had pulled out a day before the match. Had there been any reserve batsman, we would not have played with Inzamam. But we had no other option."

He admitted that the bowling lacked penetration. "Naturally, Wasim, Waqar and Mushtaq have 776 wickets between them. They have the experience of demolishing any team in any condition."

Sohail denied any rift in the team saying: "I received full support from my players."

Javed Miandad, Pakistan coach, maintained that Pakistan batsmen suffered problems in adjusting from one-day cricket to Test cricket. "I think, too much one-day cricket took a toll on them. They played and got out on shots which are normally seen in one-day cricket only."

TAYLOR DELIGHTED: Mark Taylor, who won the Man-of-the-Series award from the tourists side, said he was delighted with the series win. "It is always a great feeling to win outside your country. And to beat as formidable a side as Pakistan in Pakistan, it's definitely an achievement to be proud of."

Taylor, however, felt that his team could have won 2-0. "But we dropped two crucial catches. I dropped Ijaz Ahmad and then Mark Waugh dropped Moin Khan. I think, if we had accepted the chances, we would have certainly won this Test as well.

Taylor said the series victory was a bigger accomplishment than scoring 334 not out at Peshawar. "I have always played for the glory of the team. To be the captain of a team that beat Pakistan in Pakistan after 39 years is a thing which I am going to remember for a very long time."

Taylor believed that major difference between the two teams was the consistency of his batsmen. "It was the best batting performance throughout the series I have seen in 10 years. All our top order batsmen scored centuries in the series barring Darren Lehmann who scored 98 at Rawalpindi and Ricky Ponting who scored 76 not out and 43 at Peshawar.

"I think it was because of the batting that we were always in front of Pakistan and kept them under pressure by posting tall scores."

Taylor thought that turning point of the Test series was in the first Test on the second day when his team pulled up from 28 for three to score 513.

Sohail urges PCB to get wickets prepared by curators (27 October 1998)