Committed to PEOPLE'S RIGHT TO KNOW
Vol. 5 Num 1102 Sat. July 07, 2007  
   
Sports


Malik rues missed match


The washout of the one-day international against arch-rivals India in Glasgow had deprived Pakistan of a chance to boost morale and confidence, captain Shoaib Malik has said.

"In Pakistan, a match against India is above everything else and the players were also looking forward to it although it was for a charitable cause. If we had performed well, it would have been good for our morale and boosted the confidence of the people in us," Malik said on his return from Glasgow on Thursday.

The charity one-dayer, organised in aid for Prince Charles' Foundation, was abandoned without a ball being bowled due to persistent rain and a soggy outfield.

The Pakistan team did not get to play against hosts Scotland either as that match was also washed out due to inclement weather. They also did not get a chance to have any outdoor practice.

"It was very frustrating but there was nothing we could do. I was very keen for the match against India because Shoaib Akhtar was making a comeback after a while and was fired up for the game," he said.

But the players of the two sub-continent teams took the opportunity to interact with each other and exchange notes.

"Some of our players get along well with some of their players. But on the field there is no love lost between us," Malik said.