Inzamam confident of playing at Karachi
Praises Younis Khan's captaincy
Cricinfo staff
25-Jan-2006
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Inzamam-ul-Haq has said his sore back has been troubling him for a while
but is hopeful of playing in the final Test at Karachi, beginning in three
days' time. On course to his third successive hundred at Faisalabad,
Inzamam first retired hurt and then batted with a runner on the second
day. He didn't take the field for the final two days.
"My back has been hurting for quite a while," he added, "There are three
days left. I'm taking treatment from the doctor and physio and am hopeful
that I can be fit enough for the Test." His absence had paved the way for
Younis Khan to lead the side and Inzamam had a few good things to say
about the on-field tactics. "I think Younis captained very well," he
continued. "He changed the bowlers around and set good fields. But on this
wicket, it was tough to get a well-set batsmen out. We managed five
wickets but Dhoni and Irfan batted well."
Inzamam defended Pakistan's decision to not declare, saying that they
didn't have the required safety net. "At lunch we had 58 overs left and
the score was around 237. If we had more than 300, there was a chance of
us declaring. But it was tough to declare on such a track without any
help."
He echoed Rahul Dravid's sentiments with regard to the quality of the
pitches, and hinted at the sort of pitch that one might get to see in
Karachi. "The previous two series had good pitches, and especially in
Pakistan we had quick wickets. We were hoping for some help for the fast
bowlers. Hopefully in Karachi, where the weather is fine, we will get to
see a good pitch." He wasn't too harsh on his bowlers and felt that they
had managed a better line and length here compared to what they had done
at Lahore.