Pakistan favourites in series opener: Saeed

Karachi, Feb 12: Pakistan captain Saeed Anwar said on Saturday his team will start as favourites against Sri Lanka in the opening encounter of the three-match one-day series here at the National Stadium on Sunday.

"We will be the favourites because we will be playing in our conditions. There are very few teams who can win outside their countries," he told reporters. But Sri Lanka skipper Sanath Jayasuriya restrained from predicting the outcome of tomorrow's match. "Pakistan are a very tough team in their conditions. And we know that it is going to be a very hard series. "It is not for me to decide if we will be the favorites or the underdogs in tomorrow's match nor we are bothered about it. The boys are determined and eager to do well for the team and the country. For me, that's more important rather than if we are the favorites or underdogs," he said.

Sri Lanka coach Dav Whatmore said his team's job was to play and perform against whosoever was the opposition or what players the opponents had. "There is no question that Pakistan has a new-look team. But we have to play against whosoever has been named by the Pakistan selectors. We can't select the Pakistan team," he said, adding: "We have to do what we can do and see what the opposition does."

When pointed out that his hopes of playing against the strongest Pakistan team didn't materialize, Whatmore said: "Well, these are things which are beyond our control."

Saeed argued that the Pakistan team, except for the series against Australia, have played good cricket in the last year. He said his team reached the final of the World Cup while won two tournaments in Sharjah and one in India.

Saeed said his objective was to build a team for the future, introduce consistency in performance and make the squad a winning combination. "But these things can't be done overnight. We need some time to get on the right track," he said.

Both captains believed that the pitch prepared for the match was ideal for one-day cricket. While Saeed predicted a score of around 250 should be the least the team batting first should get, Jayasuriya restricted himself to saying that it largely depended how the bowlers perform.

None of the two captains were willing to disclose what will be their strategy for tomorrow's game. Both also diplomatically ducked questions if they would like to set a target or chase a target. However, Whatmore said that on the Zimbabwe tour Sri Lanka batted first more than second.

"Frankly, I have no preferences. But I would like to see good score on the scoreboard if we bat first and then bowl field well to restrict the opposition. Similarly, I would like to see calculated cricket played by the batsmen if we are chasing a target."

The Pakistan captain admitted that the visitors were superior in fielding and fitness as compared to the home team. "And they have done mastered it because of total commitment. Improvement in fielding and fitness is also on top of our priority."

Saeed Anwar urged the spectators to support the home team. He said the squad had new faces and they needed the appreciation of the spectators.