We’ve become more structured: Arthur

That Pakistan are widely known as an unpredictable side is an accepted opinion, but their coach Mickey Arthur stressed that they have become a more “structured” side under his watch.

“Well, I like to think we’ve become a lot more structured as a team,” noted Arthur when told how Pakistan have remained the same before and after he has taken over. “I think there’s been a lot more role clarity given to players, and hopefully that bridges the gap between being consistent and being inconsistent. I certainly think our gap between being very, very good and very bad is a lot closer, and I do think that we’re playing a game now that is a little bit more consistent. I really do believe that.

“But that unpredictability tag always sorts of hangs around the Pakistan team, and that makes us very exciting. It makes us very exciting as well. I don’t particularly like, you know, when the commentators talk about, oh, ‘it depends which Pakistan team is racked up today’, because, as coach, we prepare those guys exceptionally well every time to make sure that, when they go on the field, they’re ready to deliver and ready to fire. But we are exciting, and I know there’s a massive amount of excitement in that dressing room tomorrow as to the opportunity that tomorrow presents,” he said.

Just like Virat Kohli, the South African too maintained that there was no extra pressure just because it was an India-Pakistan clash.

“There’s always pressure in any game, and these games carry exactly the same amount of points,” Arthur said. “They carry two points. Obviously, there’s a massive hype that’s created a lot of time by the media really. Our guys are prepared. We’re ready. We’re comfortable that we can get out there and perform, and we are so excited about the opportunity tomorrow.”

Arthur didn’t read too much into Pakistan’s win over India in the Champions Trophy final and that result wouldn’t have any bearing on Sunday’s match. “No, that’s a long time ago,” Arthur emphasised. “We’re concentrating at the moment on our own games because we know, if we put three disciplines together, we can beat anybody in the world. We’re comfortable with our game plans. We’re comfortable with our personnel. We’re comfortable with our players. We’ve just got to get them into the optimum space to go out there and perform tomorrow,” he remarked.