Imran's snub and the misery of dropped catches

Imran Khan's caused a flutter when he omitted Javed Miandad from a list of high-profile guests invited for a lavish party at his residence. Though all the members of the Pakistan and Indian teams were invited for Wednesday's party, Miandad was conspicuously absent. The News says, "He [Imran] invited the manager Haroon Rasheed, Inzamam and other senior players along with the Indians but blatantly ignored Miandad, making it obvious how much he dislikes seeing him in a position of power." The newspaper also spoke about Miandad's reaction to this snub, and said that he had expressed fears of another "revolt" against him.

***

Yasir Hameed and Mohammad Sami regretted the dropped catches in the series and spoke about how costly those chances had been. The Times of India quoted Hameed as saying, "I haven't spoken to Inzy bhai even once after I dropped Rahul Dravid on 71. I can't show him my face. I think it is the pressure of playing against India that forced the mistake."

And there was more. Hameed spoke about how his concentration had wavered while admiring some of India's batsmen. "There were other dropped catches as well, but I think my mistake cost us the most. I wasn't expecting a catch at that moment. Sometimes you get so engrossed in watching batsmen like Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar that you lose focus on your job."

Sami vividly recalled the moment in Multan when he had dropped Virender Sehwag and went on to describe it as a critical moment in the series. "The moment that stroke was hit towards me in the air, I thought I had covered it. But suddenly it started dropping on me and I lost it at the last moment. I tried hard but didn't bowl well in this series but I think this was the biggest goof up. I owe an apology to my country."

***

According to the Dawn, Hanif Mohammad expressed his disappointment after Pakistan were outplayed in the deciding match at Rawalpindi. Hanif also heaped lavish praise on the Indian bowlers, who had controlled their swing admirably. He said that the Pakistani bowlers laid more emphasis on speed, which eventually proved detrimental to their plans.

Intikhab Alam, another former captain, admitted that India outclassed Pakistan in all departments in both the one-day and Test series. While contemplating the reasons for Pakistan's failure, he said, "Lack of a world-class spinner has been one of the basic reasons. We have destroyed Saqlain Mushtaq while Danish Kaneria will take time to become a class act."

***

Sachin Tendulkar took the opportunity after the third Test to clear the air about his statement regarding the declaration at Multan. In a TV show on ESPN Star Sports, he made it very clear that his outburst was an "emotional reaction" and that nothing else should be read into it.

"As far as I'm concerned, it's not at all a controversy. I came to the press conference and the first question asked was, 'Are you disappointed?' and I said, 'Yes, I am disappointed because I was unbeaten on 194'. I think I'm allowed to express my emotions, but that doesn't mean that the interest of the team is kept aside and individuals come first ... It was just an emotional expression and not at all a big issue."

He also clarified that there was absolutely no hassles between Rahul Dravid and himself due to that incident. "Also, there was something mentioned that between me and Dravid and [about] a heated atmosphere. But that wasn't the case. We just sat together and we sorted out the issue and there was a clear-cut understanding and everything was very transparent."

***

Shaharyar Khan, the chairman of the PCB, hinted at some changes in the Pakistan team set-up but insisted that they will not resort to drastic measures. The News quoted him as saying, "Don't expect any radical changes or steps to be taken because we have lost the series to India. But yes, we have pinpointed some areas of weaknesses where more expertise is required and we will be making some changes."

Shaharyar, while stating that Pakistan had put up a good fight, also cited injuries to key players as being the main reasons for Pakistan's defeat. "I think they [Pakistan] put up a creditable fight. It was a big effort on their part to win the second Test and level the series because India was a very good side. But we are not going to take any decisions emotionally or in haste. It is true the team has lost both the one-day and the Test series but overall the performance of the boys has not been that bad in the last couple of months. There are also some positive points about this team like the emergence and improvement of some of the younger players."