Lara looks to World Cup final despite series loss in Pakistan by CricketArchive staff reporter

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Player:	BC Lara
Event:	West Indies in Pakistan 2006/07

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DateLine: 3rd December 2006

 

West Indian captain Brian Lara put on a brave face after losing the Test series to Pakistan, saying his team's main focus now was on next year's World Cup in the Caribbean. "Our performances in Test matches need improvement but in the one-day arena we played very good cricket and our main focus is now on the final at Barbados in the World Cup," said Lara. West Indies lost the three-match series against Pakistan 2-0 on Friday. The West Indies were bowled out for 244 runs in their second innings chasing an improbable 444-run target, handing Pakistan the third and final Test by 199 runs. Pakistan won the first Test by nine wickets in Lahore while the second Test ended in a draw at Multan. The West Indies, who play Pakistan in a five-match one-day series with the first match in Rawalpindi on December 5, have lost 39 of their 45 Tests abroad against major Test playing countries. Yet they finished runners-up to Australia in the Champions Trophy one-day competition in November and earlier in a tri-series in Malaysia. The West Indies only have one-day matches to play until the start of the World Cup in March-April next year and Lara said they can take some positives from the Pakistan Test series. "I think coming to Pakistan and to play a Test series you could only be positive, it's the toughest conditions but we still have some young players coming out like (Denesh) Ramdin," he said. "We are not down in the dumps, we are moving to the one-day games and the game we play a lot better than the Test arena, and we remain positive about it," said Lara, whose team is among the favourites for the World Cup. Lara said Pakistan deserved the credit for their series win. "Of course it's disappointing to lose a series, but you have to give credit toward the end to the Pakistanis for playing tough cricket throughout, but I'm still proud of my team. They worked very hard after the first match and played pretty good cricket in Multan. The pitch here didn't offer us much. Of course, Pakistan adapted to the conditions better than we did." Lara said his team needed to improve their fielding. "We dropped a few chances and this is one area where we need improvement," said Lara, whose team dropped as many as dozen catches in three Tests, including six off Mohammad Yousuf who accumulated 665 runs in the series and deservedly won the man-of-the-series award. Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq said his team deserved the credit in general and Yousuf in particular. "The team deserves the credit for every win, but Yousuf was exceptional," said Inzamam, who also singled out paceman Umar Gul for his 16 wickets in the series. "Gul bowled well on such unresponsive pitches. We were missing two of our key bowlers but Umar did well and was ably supported by Shahid Nazir and Danish Kaneria," said Inzamam, under whom Pakistan won four of their last five series. Pakistan were without their key strike bowlers Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif, both banned over failed dope tests. Inzamam justified keeping the same squad throughout the series - only the second time that has happened in Pakistan's 54-year history of playing Tests. The last time was against New Zealand in 1964. "I am being criticised for keeping the side. On such slow tracks you can't play four fast bowlers and once we won the first Test and drew the second the same team had to be played in the third.’’