It was a bit too late when Pakistan got their act together, managing only a consolation win in the fifth and final one-dayer here. But skipper Shoaib Malik was a relieved man that his team finally managed to do something positive ahead of the Test series beginning in New Delhi on November 22.
“It feels good to win even though it came a bit late. It is a good win ahead of the Test series and the guys will, hopefully, pick it up from here. But we will think about the Tests after a couple of players arrive from home,” Malik said.
The skipper also expressed his happiness that the experiment to go into this match with five specialist bowlers paid off. Pakistan had rested all-rounder Shahid Afridi and drafted in Fawad Alam into the line-up.
“We played with five bowlers on the day, and the gamble paid off. If one of them had gone for too many runs we could have been in big trouble, but they responded well with a good show and the batsmen too helped their case, putting up a good total on the board,” Malik observed.
“Chasing 300 can be tough under any conditions, and when the ball was changed in the 35th over, I told them (bowlers) that we can take a few wickets. We needed to get seven excellent Indian batsmen out to win,” he added.
On Mohammad Yousuf, who made a composed fifty on the day, he said, “If a player has that kind of consistent run, it helps the team and the captain.”
Personally too, the match offered some great moments for Malik. He scored a crucial fifty and shared a century partnership with Yousuf to bail Pakistan out of trouble.
But Malik was far from finished with that. He came back to trouble the Indians with a fine show with the ball and some clever field placements. He took four wickets to apply the breaks to the Indian chase.
“I am really happy to contribute to the team's cause. It really is a confident booster ahead of the Test series. I hope to carry on from here and play some good knocks in the Test series,” said Malik, who was adjudged the man of the match.
On the absence of paceman Shoaib Akhtar, Malik said, “He was experiencing some pain in the ankle and doctors have advised him a few days rest. But it’s not serious.”
