Batting first was a mistake, admits Michael http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Clarke-c51120 – Cricket News Update
Having lost the second of the two-match One Day International (ODI) series against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/MJ-Clarke-c1978, the Australian skipper, has admitted that he made a tactical mistake by opting to bat first after winning the
toss.
Heavy dew was expected in the later stages of the match; however, quite surprisingly, Clarke decided to take the gamble by fielding second.
The visitors put on 248 runs on the board for the loss of 9 wickets, thanks to a brilliant half-century by http://www.senore.com/Cricket/MEK-Hussey-c1942. The total looked a competitive one, considering Pakistan’s vulnerability in the batting department.
However, Pakistani batsmen, especially http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Nasir-Jamshed-c78752, played out of their skins and chased down the total in the 44th over of the innings, with seven wickets in hand.
The Aussies struggled to grip the ball throughout the second innings, which immensely hampered their progress in the match.
Clarke admitted his blunder and said that the Kangaroos failed to exert any pressure on the Green Shirts because of a wet ball. The middle-order batsman is expecting a close fight in the last ODI, which will be played on Monday at
Sharjah.
"I should have bowled first. Good third game coming up," the Aussie skipper said. "Difficult to hold onto the ball but no excuses. Our middle order played well but we didn't execute with the ball."
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Jamshed-c66276, who was named as the Player of the Match for his stunning knock of 97 runs expressed his disappointment over not completing a hundred. After playing some extra-ordinary shots, the left-hander mistimed one off the bowling
of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/MG-Johnson-c1945. The young opener revealed that he was assigned the task of keeping the scoreboard moving.
"I was cramping towards the end. The captain told me to play my natural game," he expressed.
Pakistan’s captain, Misbah ul Haq, is extremely pleased with the performance of his bowlers and Jamshed. He also shared that losing the toss turned out to be a blessing in disguise for his side.
Misbah said, "Much needed win. Jamshed showed maturity and class. Bowlers did a wonderful job to restrict them. In this outfield it is difficult to restrict any team under 250, lucky toss to lose."
Tags: