Woolmer and Lillee warn against writing off Pakistan

Can Bob Woolmer inspire Pakistan to lift their performance in the Tests? © Getty Images Enlarge

Bob Woolmer, the Pakistan coach, and Dennis Lillee have warned against writing off the Pakistan side ahead of their three-Test series against Australia. Pakistan have had a woeful start to their tour - they suffered an embarrassing ten-run defeat against a Western Australian 2nd XI, and were then thrashed by ten wickets inside three days by the full Western Australian state team at the WACA. But both Lillee and Woolmer said that Pakistan could lift their game for the big occasion.

"I think that the Pakistanis are always a team that save their best until it's an interesting game," Lillee told the Perth radio station 6PR. "I don't see it as something they do on purpose - you can't take too much notice of their training and lead-up games. They are very much a team for the occasion and when they want to they can turn it on."

Woolmer echoed those sentiments. "Obviously we don't look like as though we're going to beat the Australians - all right, we don't look as though we can beat anyone at the moment," he admitted, according to a report on ABC Online. "But I've seen the Pakistan team play like this and I've seen them come right. They are inexperienced in these conditions and are inexperienced in most conditions but there's still a lot of talent in that team. If people are going to write us off that's fine, fair enough, write us off."

The game against Western Australia was Pakistan's last chance to get used to the local conditions before the first Test, which starts at Perth on Thursday (December 16).