Pakistan need three-dimensional players - Ramiz Raja
Had Mahendra Singh Dhoni got his wish he wanted to field first at the toss then India could very well have been at the losing end. It was a good toss to lose because nobody read the 22 yards correctly. Shoaib Maliks decision to bowl first had some merit because the track did look tacky in the morning. However, after an inconsistent start the pitch settled down and allowed India some breathing space. Pakistans bowling lacked the punch, and the opening spell from Shoaib Akhtar and Umar Gul was spasmodic and lifeless. They lost the advantage of bowling on the moist pitch very early in the day, and the fielders really did not help them. It was a show that eased the pressure off the Indians.
To be a consistent team, Pakistan will have to look for more three-dimensional cricketers and by that I mean bowlers who can bat a bit, batsmen who can bowl if needed and athletic fielders all around. The work has to start immediately, possibly at the academy level, and only then the percentage of victories will improve for Pakistan.
The Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh partnership is hurting the visitors quite badly. The option to restrict them so that they will falter and get out is a failed option. Unless Pakistan look to pick their wickets up, and grab the opportunity when it presents itself Salman Butt dropped Yuvraj and I thought that it was the turning point then the series will be difficult to win. Pakistan gave away at least 40 more runs to India, because in the morning it was not more than a 250-run pitch. They conceded around 40 extras at Mohali and 29 extras here in Kanpur it is a self-inflicted wound that requires serious dressing.
India had written the script in their favour once they got to a total of 294. Like Dhoni and Yuvraj have been critical in propping up the score, Harbhajan has been brilliant for them and really the star for them in the middle overs. The writing was on the wall once he got the ball to spin, on a pitch which by that time had become heaven for the spinners. Salman Butts heroics with the bat were commendable but Pakistan kept on losing wickets at important junctures which paved the way for an Indian victory. Pakistan would feel they have lost an opportunity after a memorable win at Mohali. They have allowed India to resurface and unless they change gears in all departments the series is threatening to be taken away from them.
Maliks captaincy was a lot better. Only if he had got support from fielders and bowlers then the results could have been different. His own batting form has dipped and in one-day cricket the more he bats lower down the order the more difficult it will get for him to get back into form that is. He can open the innings for Pakistan in the next game and lead from the front. It will allow him more time to relax at the crease and also allow him to control Pakistans batting.
