http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Salman-c88163 Butt confident of win at Lords
Salman Butt has had a decent record as far as test captaincy is concerned. However, he does not seem in the habit of giving the cricket fans false hopes or expectations. Following the embarrassing performance of the team at Trent Bridge and Edgbaston, his team made a spectacular comeback, roaring back like cornered tigers to defeat England. They now have a chance to level the series, and Salman feels more confident about his unit than he was at the start of the series.
Like his adversary, Andrew Strauss, and most batsmen this summer, Salman has not been able to find his form in England despite scoring a 63 and 92 in http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Australia-c746 last month. However, his 48 in The Oval test has helped him gain some lost confidence.
"If you are chasing 180-odd you don't score centuries to win the game. All you need is two people scoring a 50 or a 40 and you are home", exclaimed the 25-year old.
With the inclusion of Mohammad Yousaf in the test squad, the team has found a much needed bastion for the middle order, which collapsed in the first two Test matches. The team lacked confidence, and with the inclusion of the veteran, Mohammad Yousuf, the relatively young side has found its rhythm and are bracing themselves to level the series.
If this feat is achieved, it will be the first time in the last 50 odd years of cricketing history of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755. The fielding, was cringe worthy in the first two tests played against Pakistan, however, they have certainly improved their fielding at The Oval.
In the context that brought the win for Pakistan at The Oval, with floods and security emergencies, it was indeed a very special win for the team. With Pakistan facing the worst ever humanitarian disaster, and the economy suffering, the win would help the citizens of Pakistan develop some optimism. For they normally seem to associate cricketing accomplishments with the country’s overall success.
The Pakistan team is perfectly capable of defeating the English side, provided they work hard on their fielding and their batting. Pakistan bowling attack can take on any quality opposition and the English batsmen will be wary of the fact going into the decisive Test of the series.
However, on the down side the win at The Oval might spark complacency amongst the ranks of the Pakistan side. Salman Butt has also pointed out that this is a relatively new unit with only 5 games under their belt and hence it will take some time for them to settle down. Being a realist he understands that this side will have their good and bad times, and the team will have to work together to overcome any setbacks they may face.
The surprise win at Headingly against Australia helped them snatch a draw and if they could repeat the same here at Lords, Salman Butt will most certainly have much to celebrate about. The team certainly holds much promise with the likes of Azhar Ali, who scored an unbeaten 92 against England at The Oval, and Umar Amin.
Salman has much to ponder before the Test at Lords, but more than pondering it is now time to put words into action. Finishing the series with a strong performance is imperative for Pakistan to regain their lost confidence before they go into the ODI’s and T20’s.
"I think it would be the most wonderful thing", said Salman Butt. "To come from 2-0 down to level the series would boost confidence for the rest of our fixtures - and in difficult times, we will have something very good to remember".
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