Pakistan have devised a strategy to counter the twin threat of Harbhajan and Kartik and are planning to go into the second ODI with a strengthened pace attack.
MOHALI: Bogged down by Indian spinners in the first match, Pakistan have not only devised a strategy to counter the twin threat of Harbhajan Singh and Murali Kartik but are also planning to go into the second cricket one-dayer with a strengthened pace attack.
Pakistan coach Geoff Lawson said his batsmen had "given a good thought" on how to tackle the Indian spinners and felt that the conditions at the PCA stadium may not suit the slow bowlers.
"Mohali has a reputation for fast and bouncy wicket. It is much quicker than other tracks in India, so it may not have much turn for the spinners," Lawson told reporters on the eve of the match.
"In the last match the Indian spinners bowled well and contained our batsmen. We have given a good thought to that. Our batsmen have now a better idea how they will approach them. We have our plans to counter the Indian spinners," he said.
Lawson, the former Australian paceman who took over as the coach after Bob Woolmer's death, said Pakistan could strengthen its pace attack taking into account the conditions here.
"We were a bit flat in the first game in Guwahati. But we are not looking at too many changes in the team. We will have a discussion with the captain and others before we finalise the playing eleven," he said.
On whether left-handed seamer Sohail Tanveer would get a chance considering that the pitch may assist the fast bowlers, Lawson said "Sohail has a long-term future. He is learning his lessons and will get more skillful over a period of time.
"He is in the frontline for selection. He will definitely be a possibility."
Asked if toss was vital in view of the dew factor, the former Australian cricketer said "people get carried away by the toss. If you see the the history of the game, it is not like that.
"If there is too much dew, we have to find a way to get the job done. There are a lot of ways to do it... you can always have a chat with the umpires and get the ball changed if its too wet".
Lawson also defended the Pakistani openers, saying that they had a few good partnerships in the recent past.
"The good thing is that Salman Butt is in form again. It is good for us. Akmal had a century in this ground, so hope it works for him."
On whether the mandatory change of balls after 34 overs was affecting his bowlers in getting the reverse swing going, Lawson said the rule change had made a lot of difference.
"It (new rule) does make a big difference. It affects how we play the one-dayers. The spinners are suffering for that as they get a rather newish ball," he explained.
Lawson again spoke about how India-Pakistan matches were "special" and said his team would try to level the score 1-1 on Thursday by ensuring that the same mistakes were not repeated.
"We use history to learn our lessons. We should not make the same mistakes again," he added.
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