Inzamam exudes confidence ahead of India tour
Despite going down to Australia in the VB Series finals, Inzamam-ul-Haq, the Pakistan captain, drew several positives from the tour and was confident of putting up a better performance in the forthcoming series against India.
Cricinfo staff
07-Feb-2005
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"It is disappointing to lose the VB series finals 2-0 but I remain optimistic that the boys will show improvement in India, a tour which is very important for us," said Inzamam. "These last couple of games, we have really worked hard and played good cricket. The India tour is crucial for us. The boys are playing well and hopefully they will continue this."
Pakistan had a poor tour of Australia, losing all three Tests and winning just three games out of eight in the VB Series, while Inzamam's captaincy was severely criticised, most notably by Imran Khan, who called the team's performance "spineless". Their batting was extremely disappointing in the finals, when they failed to chase targets of 238 and 240 in the two matches, but their displays in the field were far more encouraging.
Inzamam had earlier indicated that he might step down from captaincy before the Indian tour, but he has since received full backing from Shaharyar Khan, the chairman of the Pakistan board, to lead the side. "I am looking forward to leading the side against India. For the boys any match against them is special. It would be the high point of my career leading the side in the full series in India."
Inzamam's record as a Test captain is quite ordinary. He has led in ten matches, with just three wins and five losses. He will have an opportunity to improve that statistic in the three-Test series against India, which begins next month.