Pakistan will overcome second Test loss to India, says coach Woolmer by AFP

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Ground:	Eden Gardens, Kolkata, M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore
Scorecard:	India v Pakistan
Event:	Pakistan in India 2004/05

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DateLine: 22nd March 2005

 

Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer praised India for winning the second Test, but vowed his team will come back strongly in the final Test to salvage the series.

 

"I suppose India fared better than us for most of the Test. They deserved to win and it's now our turn to stage a comeback and we can do that in the final Test," Woolmer told AFP Monday.

 

India registered a convincing 195-run victory at Calcutta's Eden Gardens on Sunday to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.

 

The third Test begins at the Chinnaswamy stadium here on Thursday.

 

Woolmer, who played 19 Tests for England and then coached South Africa between 1994-1999, admitted Pakistan were not able to contain the Indians as planned.

 

"We are not carrying out what's been discussed in meetings," he said. "We played smart cricket but it was not good enough to win.

 

"We lost the match on the third day. From a good position we failed to get a 100 or 150-run lead which was our specific plan."

 

Pakistan were set to gain a handsome lead after they resumed at 273-2 on the third morning in reply to India's 407 with Yousuf Youhana and Younis Khan batting with unbeaten centuries.

 

But the tourists lost their last eight wickets for 112 runs in a dramatic collapse.

 

"A Test match can change with the fall of one wicket. We lost Youhana, Inzamam-ul-Haq and Asim Kamal before lunch," Woolmer said.

 

"That really hurt our plans to take the lead.

 

"I will not say the boys were complacent but we must not allow such opportunities to go waste," said Woolmer, adding the fifth day pitch at Eden Gardens was more difficult to bat on than the one at Mohali where Pakistan drew the first Test.

 

"The pitch at Mohali was dead while the one at Eden Gardens had uneven bounce and turn. This was the ideal wicket, one Anil Kumble relishes."

 

The wily leg-spinner Kumble fashioned India's win with a first-ball dismissal of Younis Khan on the final day and finished with 7-63 in the second innings.

 

Pakistan, chasing a world record target of 422 runs, were shot out for 226.

 

"We must work out a strategy on how to negate Kumble," said Woolmer, under whom Pakistan have lost five of seven Tests.

 

But he did not agree that going in without off-spinner Arshad Khan was a mistake.

 

"India's Harbhajan Singh took four wickets in the match so it was not a mistake. Our seamer Mohammad Khalil did not bowl well while leg-spinner Danish Kaneria was less effective due to dehydration," said Woolmer.

 

Kaneria, who took 6-150 in the first Test, managed just six wickets for 259 runs in the second Test.

(Article: Copyright © 2005 AFP)