Rashid 'satisfied' with tour performance

Despite losing the three-match NatWest Challenge one-day series against England, Rashid Latif, Pakistan's captain, said that he was satisfied with his team's performance.

"I don't think many people had given us any chance of putting up a fight here in the background that traditionally England is a tough place to tour and even more tougher when you have a young team," he told reporters. "But I am pleased with the way the youngsters have responded.

"I think the boys have the vibe and they have shown the world that they have the capacity to carry the green flag in days to come. They are young and raw but would certainly improve after getting more international exposure," he added. "Although it hurts deep inside that we couldn't win the series despite being on the verge of victory, but I think that since the people have accepted the need of rebuilding [the team], they wouldn't be disappointed with our performance.

"I'm not ashamed of the loss. I personally feel Pakistan played better cricket than England. I always believed we were going to win this game. But I dropped a catch at a crucial moment and that is all part and parcel of the game."

At Lord's, Pakistan had only themselves to blame by dropping two more crucial catches and missing three easy run-outs by failing to hit the stumps. Without taking anything away from England's victory, Pakistan did suffer other blows when umpires Daryl Hair and Peter Willey gave the benefit of the doubt to Marcus Trescothick and Chris Read when television replays indicated otherwise.

And it was Rashid who sportingly stepped forward when Jim Troughton edged one to Younis Khan at slips by indicating to the the umpires that the ball had not carried. He also helped start England's mid-innings collapse with a smart stumping followed by a good leg-side catch. "I don't want to comment on the umpiring," he said diplomatically. "You have seen the match and the replays, therefore, you can make a better judgement than me."

Pakistan had toured England with a young team after leaving out Saeed Anwar, Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Saqlain Mushtaq and Shahid Afridi, but still managed to beat England in the first one-day international by two wickets before losing the second at The Oval by seven wickets.

On the results achieved on tour, Rashid thought his side had lived up to the promise to fans they: "would play hard and positive cricket. And that is what we have done on this tour. There had to be a winner and a loser but at the end of the day, what matters most is the way cricket was played.

"We had our chances but didn't pounce on them. Nevertheless, we were graceful in defeat and there is no shame in losing the series. I am sure that after this performance, the media and the public would continue to support and back us in the future events."

Rashid further analysed a tour that was a difficult one for his young team with lots of travelling and playing matches in between. "It was a tight tour and had it been a longer one with a five-match series, the results could have been even better. But it was an enjoyable visit as the players enjoyed it and throughout the visit, remained gelled together. We developed an understanding that is so very vital to producing positive results.

"We won the first one-day international while chasing and stretched England to the limits in the third. The youngsters came good while the seniors performed in bits and pieces. The other significant aspect of the tour was the aggressive but positive attitude of Shoaib Akhtar who bowled with fire and venom but without any luck [at Lord's]."

Rashid, thanking the Pakistan president General Pervez Musharraf for his visit with the team at the Oval made an interesting observation: "As we are not accustomed to meeting dignitaries prior to any match, the youngsters got carried away. But his visit and words of advice were invaluable as they gave the boys a much needed confidence and support."

Pakistan head home for a rest before a long and demanding season in which they play six Tests and 13 ODIs between August and December against Bangladesh, South Africa and New Zealand.