Cheema admits he was under pressure after being thrashed by the Lankan openers at the start – Cricket News Update
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Sri-Lanka-c758, has admitted that the hammering he received from the opposition openers at the start of the Lankan innings had put him under pressure.
However, a few words of encouragement from skipper http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Shahid-Afridi-c2482 changed his fortunes.
"I was under a lot of pressure but the captain told me not to be defensive,” revealed the pacer while speaking to media reporters at the post match press conference.
“With two new balls used, it remains hard and even if you try slower deliveries, it comes on well. So the idea was to bowl fast throughout. Whenever I got hit, captain, Afridi came up to me and told me to be aggressive, bowl bouncers," Cheema added further.
For this crucial match, the Pakistani captain opted to open the bowling attack with http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Mohammad-Hafeez-c76898 had opened alongside Gul, and this tweaking worked wonders for the skipper.
Initially it seemed the decision had backfired, as the Lankan openers, Mahela Jayawardena and http://www.senore.com/Cricket/TM-Dilshan-c2691 punished Aizaz for his loose deliveries, hitting him for five scrumptious boundaries in his first two overs. The pacer recovered quickly however,
removing the openers in successive overs. Having conceded 21 runs in his first two overs, Cheema conceded 22 runs in his next seven overs, which saw him picking up 4 wickets as well, and he returned with figures of 4 for 43 in nine overs.
Cheema was ably supported by ace spinner http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755 bundled out the Lankans for a paltry total of 188 in 45.4 overs.
Pakistan skipper Misbah-ul-Haq also hailed Cheema for his startling performance.
"I kept on telling Cheema that you have to aggressive as that's your main weapo. The only way to contain batsmen is to bowl fast and get wickets."
With the six wicket win over Sri Lanka, the Men in Green have confirmed a spot for the tournament final on March 22. Misbah’s men play arch-rivals http://www.senore.com/Cricket/India-c750 at the Shere Bangla National Stadium on Sunday, March 18, 2012 in their next match.
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