(MENAFN- Arab Times) CHRISTCHURCH New Zealand Feb 18 (AFP): Pakistan coach Waqar Younis Wednesday insisted his team would bounce back in the World Cup despite a demoralising defeat against arch-rivals India a loss he blamed on an inability to handle big-match pressure.
Pakistan succumbed to a 76-run defeat against the defending champions in their first Pool B game in Adelaide on Sunday. ''We can all see what went wrong'' Waqar told reporters. ''We didn''t play well India played better than us by building partnerships probably we took more pressure. ''But we have to realise that it''s just the start and there are more games to play and we will come back in the matches ahead.'' Pakistan will look to put things right in their second game in Christchurch on Saturday against the West Indies who also suffered a shock defeat at the hands of Ireland. Waqar repeated his team were not amongst the title favourites a statement which he gave before the departure for New Zealand last month.
Then such pessimism was greeted with severe criticism from former Pakistan players. ''I think it''s the same I back that again I am not saying that we have become favourites. Of course saying that releases pressure from players when you are not favourites. Waqar who is in his second stint as coach after guiding the team to a semi-final finish in the 2011 World Cup blamed poor batting for the India loss. ''Unfortunately our batting did not click'' said Waqar of Pakistan''s batting which failed to chase a target of 301 wrapped up for 224.
''Atarget of 300 runs in Australia and New Zealand is chaseable this has become the norm a par total and we have to chase down 300 in games ahead'' said Waqar. Pakistan desperately need a win against the West Indies to keep up their chances of a quarter-final place. Pakistan coach Waqar Younis admitted the controversial experiment of using veteran batsman Younis Khan as an opener in the World Cup clash against India had failed. ''The experiment to use Younis wasn''t successful'' said Waqar on Wednesday. ''It''s not too tough to drop a senior player but in a tournament like the World Cup you try to use maximum experience. ''When we used Younis at number three or four he was not scoring runs so we used him as an opener but it didn''t work.'' Younis playing his fourth World Cup has managed just 73 runs in seven matches with a highest of 25 since the team''s arrival in New Zealand last month.
Pakistan have opener Nasir Jamshed waiting in the wings and he is likely to replace Younis who made just six last weekend if the 37-year-old is dropped for Saturday''s match against the West Indies in Christchurch. Pakistan''s World Cup campaign was rocked by fresh allegations of unrest Wednesday when reports claimed that fielding coach Grant Luden was involved in a heated row with senior players. Even before the tournament started eight members of Pakistan''s 15-man squad including Shahid Afridi and Ahmed Shehzad were fined $300 each by team management for breaking a curfew. Days later Pakistan suffered a 76-run defeat by defending champions India in their tournament opener in Adelaide the team''s sixth successive loss to their archrivals at the World Cup.
Initial reports in the Pakistan media on Tuesday said Luden had resigned after an argument with Afridi opener Shehzad and batsman-cum wicketkeeper Umar Akmal following Sunday''s Pool B loss. ''Luden had a serious argument with some senior players and out of frustration resigned'' a source in the Pakistan camp told AFP. Luden a member of Pakistan coach Waqar Younis''s backroom staff was hired as fielding coach in May last year on a two-year contract. But the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) denied Luden had resigned after the India match. ''Reports stating that there has been a tiff between three players Afridi Shehzad and Akmal and fielding coach Luden and that the latter has resigned because of it are absolutely false and that nothing of the sort has happened'' said a PCB statement issued on Wednesday. ''The entire team trained together in Christchurch on Tuesday under the supervision of head coach Waqar Younis with each of the other coaches where some players were put through their paces by all coaches with Luden putting in an extra hour on both days with a select group of players'' the statement added.
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