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The selection of India’s squad for the first two Tests against South Africa has been postponed from March 9 to March 17. The selectors will now meet in Bangalore instead of Mumbai.Dilip Vengsarkar, the chairman of selectors, had requested a postponement for picking a squad for the Tests starting March 26, so that players could take part in the Deodhar Trophy scheduled between March 14 and 26. “The Deodhar Trophy is a significant tournament on the domestic calendar and would have lost its value if we had announced the Test team on Sunday,” Vengsarkar told Cricinfo. “We want those who returned immediately after the Test series in Australia to appear in this tournament. But those who stayed back for the CB one-day series deserve these 15 days of rest.”Anil Kumble, Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly, VVS Laxman, and Wasim Jaffer are expected to turn out for their respective zones in the tournament that marks a close to the 2007-08 domestic season. Sachin Tendulkar, Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Ishant Sharma are among those who will get a break before the South Africa series.In an earlier interview, Vengsarkar had pointed out that it was with the amount of international cricket being played, it was difficult to get players in the national side to play domestic cricket.South Africa will arrive in Chennai on March 21 for three Tests, the first of which begins at the MA Chidambaram stadium on March 26. The next second and third Tests will be played in Ahmedabad and Kanpur between April 3-7 and 11-15.Meanwhile India’s Test specialists will have to undergo routine tests at the NCA over the next three days in accordance with a BCCI policy, which states that players who have been out of action must undergo periodic check-ups prior to all selections. Laxman, Jaffer, Ganguly, Dravid, VRV Singh, Pankaj Singh and Kumble haven’t been part of the side since the Adelaide Test in January and will need to go through fitness tests before their names are cleared for selection. They will undergo tests under Paul Chapman, the trainer at the NCA, Paul Close, the physiotherapist, and Dav Whatmore. The NCA will in turn forward the reports to the board on Saturday.

A lot has been said by key personnel involved in this West Indies tour of England. However the real significance of their comments prior to the squad’s departure last Tuesday lies between the lines.When Mike Findlay, the manager, chooses to emphasise that an insistence on proper conduct is a significant aspect of his role, and that no indiscipline will be tolerated during the next two months on the road, it is a tacit admission that the generally lamentable attitude of contemporary Caribbean cricketers had sunk to a new low during the ultimately disastrous World Cup campaign.When new coach David Moore stresses the need for players to appreciate the value of fitness and proper overall preparation, he is in fact confessing that, at least for much of his tenure as assistant coach to fellow Australian Bennett King over the past two-and-a-half years, the essential work ethic was nothing short of deplorable. Additionally, Moore’s praise of the work of regional colleagues, when questioned about any aspirations of continuing as West Indies coach beyond the England tour, suggests that he senses the tide at the decision-making level has shifted from employing a foreigner.It is a shift that could be reinforced in the coming weeks, although he will probably argue, as Roger Harper and Gus Logie – his counterparts on the last two visits to England – did, that as vital as his function is, it is still only one aspect of a system that deteriorated before our eyes over the past 10 years or so.Harper at least savoured a Test victory, by an innings and 93 runs inside three days at Edgbaston, to get the five-match series in 2000 off to a dream start. Logie, in contrast, had the misfortune of being in charge (that terminology could be hotly debated, given what prevailed during the tour) of the squad in 2004 that was whitewashed in the four-match series, although there was considerable consolation in the Champions Trophy triumph four weeks later before coaching responsibilities were passed on to King and company.That first Test in Birmingham seven years ago remains a significant landmark in the almost uninterrupted slide since then, for it is the last time that the West Indies won a Test away from home against an opponent other than Zimbabwe or Bangladesh.Then, Jimmy Adams’s team had three first-class matches leading up to the series opener. In 2004, with Brian Lara at the helm, they reached the final of a tri-nation limited-overs tournament involving the hosts and New Zealand, and then played two first-class fixtures ahead of the first Test at Lord’s. Now, they have a solitary three-day match against Somerset leading into next Thursday’s start of the four-Test series.Of course, with the World Cup having dragged on for almost two months, all international teams are in the same boat. The difference is that West Indies and England are the first to get back into the longer version of the game, and while the members of the home team would have played at least a couple of matches for their respective counties ahead of the Lord’s opener, the tourists will be trying to cram all the preparation they can manage into the next three days.The County Ground at Taunton holds a special place in the hearts of older West Indian fans, for it was there that Viv Richards and Joel Garner played their county cricket for more than a decade until an acrimonious departure in 1986. So it is inevitable that when the diehard fans of Somerset gather on the opening day tomorrow at their favourite venue to see the current crop of West Indians taking on the home boys, there will be more than a little reminiscing about the day “Smokin’ Joe” hit so-and-so out of the ground, or the time when “Big Bird” mowed down so many top-class players in a single spell.Given their genuine admiration for Caribbean cricket, they would certainly like to forget the performance of the last West Indies team that came to Taunton. That was near the end of the 2000 tour, a week after the unbelievably humiliating two-day defeat in the fourth Test at Headingley.

The 269-run loss to a Somerset team that won just two first-class matches all season was almost as dispiriting, and preceded a 158-run defeat in the final Test at The Oval that gave England the series 3-1 and a first hold on the Wisden Trophy since 1969.The only familiar face tomorrow among the tourists, for those who were at The County Ground seven years ago, will be Chris Gayle (Ramnaresh Sarwan had flown home for a friend’s funeral). Gayle was dropped from the Test side after scoring zero in the only innings at Edgbaston and did nothing against Somerset to merit a recall for the series finale. He is remembered, however, for summoning veteran fast bowler Curtly Ambrose from the pavilion, on an overcast day, to bring out his sunglasses, which he promptly placed on top of his head. It didn’t take much perception to recognise then that Gayle, like so many others in the squad, had effectively switched off.If Findlay, Moore, Sarwan and whoever else can get Gayle to focus on batting instead of fashion tomorrow, they will be able to take credit for at least one minor achievement on what is going to be a very difficult tour.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

Careless shots and a flurry of wickets aside, South Africa raced to a victory inside three days after successfully chasing down 217 to beat New Zealand in the third and final Test at Johannesburg. In a frenetic final two sessions, South Africa lost six wickets en route to their target and were deeply indebted to their captain’s second fifty in the game to see them home by four wickets.The tone was set just before lunch when, faced with an uncomfortable nine overs and chasing a middling target of 217, Smith and his opening partner Boeta Dippenaar set off like a rocket. Dippenaar was the aggressor, crunching four boundaries to settle South Africa’s nerves who went to lunch on 49 without loss; before this game, only three times had South Africa successfully chased down more than 200 runs in the fourth innings. They were let off by New Zealand’s bowlers, though, who wasted the new ball and handed the momentum – at a key stage of the match – to the batsmen.Smith and Dippenaar continued their confident start after lunch, too. And much as South Africa’s bowlers had suffered with their lengths in the morning, so did New Zealand in the afternoon session. Too often, Martin bowled short allowing the batsmen to rock back and power him through the covers. When he did pitch it up, batting was trickier, as Dippenaar found out when a fuller delivery caught his outside edge and flew to Brendon McCullum to end a 69-run opening partnership.Undaunted, Smith continued to hit boundaries to take the initiative away from New Zealand, powering Scott Styris for a vicious four over midwicket before clobbering James Franklin for two further fours. His fifty – his second of the match – came up with a crunching back-foot drive which rather signalled that the end was nigh for New Zealand.With South Africa settled on 114 for 1, Stephen Fleming turned to Daniel Vettori for a breakthrough who was immediately sent packing; coming down the pitch, Smith lofted him over his head for four, narrowly avoiding long-on, before smashing him for six off the next delivery. Vettori didn’t bowl again in the innings.Smith got carried away, though. After glancing Franklin fine for another four, he got cramped for room attempting the same shot. Hashim Amla, too, paid the price for over-eagerness – anyone would think they had a train to catch. After playing reasonably well for his 28, with the game seemingly in the bag, a lazy flick through midwicket off Kyle Mills saw the ball cannon into his stumps. It was a poor, careless dismissal from a batsman who too frequently flits between the excellent and the dreadful.Mills, bowling with surprising pace and lift, accounted for Jacques Kallis too. And when Franklin bowled AB de Villiers for 8, South Africa’s bullish counterattacking started to look a little foolish, especially considering the amount of time still left in the game. However Ashwell Prince – who is fast becoming South Africa’s second middle-order rock – remained solid, calmly picking up singles to take South Africa home safely with an unbeaten 43.Given the nervy run-chase – this is only the fourth time South Africa have successfully chased over 200 runs in the fourth innings – New Zealand were perhaps only fifty runs short of setting South Africa a truly testing total. With Jacob Oram and Daniel Vettori both playing sensibly, seemingly unflustered in the morning session, a target in excess of 250 was within their grasp. Oram misjudged the length from Dale Steyn, though, ballooning a difficult but well-held chance to de Villiers at mid-off to end their 49-run stand.Vettori and Franklin were similarly untroubled for much of the morning; as South Africa’s shoulders dropped, so did the bowler’s lengths. Time and again Vettori was allowed to rock back and hammer fours through the off-side, or glance a fortunate edge down to his favoured third-man region. Curiously, Shaun Pollock was held back from the attack until the 15th over and it was he who broke through Franklin’s thoroughly impressive defence. Andrew Hall then mopped up the rest as New Zealand stumbled, failing to add to their score having sat comfortably on 283 for 7.That South Africa were so keen on finishing the job in double-quick time said much about a side that has, on occasions this season, struggled to take the initiative and close the door on their opponents. Their aggression paid dividends, however, and Smith – who received the Man-of-the-Match award for his two fifties – has ended the season on a winning note and, at last, with runs to his name.

How they were out

South AfricaBoeta Dippenaar c McCullum b Martin 37 (69 for 1)
Graeme Smith b McCullum b Franklin 68 (130 for 2)
Hashim Amla b Mills 28 (156 for 3)
Jacques Kallis c How b Mills 13 (167 for 4)
AB de Villiers b Franklin 5 (180 for 5)
Mark Boucher b Franklin 6 (202 for 6)
New ZealandJacob Oram c Dippenaar b Steyn 27 (239 for 7)
James Franklin b Pollock 19 (283 for 8)
Daniel Vettori c de Villiers b Hall 60 (283 for 9)
Chris Martin c Amla b Hall 0 (283 all out)

The Women’s Cricket Association of India is undeterred by the BCCI’s postponement of the impending merger between the two boards. The BCCI failed to discuss the matter in the working committee meeting in Thiruvananthapuram last week, but Shubhangi Kulkani, the secretary of the WCAI, remained positive about the issue. “I haven’t heard directly from the BCCI yet,” Kulkarni told Cricinfo, “but from the reports that I have heard they are considering the merger, and are looking into how other countries have merged and they are going to put it up in the next meeting.”According to the Indian board, though they are considering the merger, the matter has been put on hold. SK Nair, the secretary of the BCCI, was quoted by The Indian Express as saying, “The recent performances [of the women’s team] have been exceptional and we want to give them due credence. The BCCI will soon allow itself to take a decision on this.”However, contrasting comments have come from the board. “The BCCI has enough on its plate as it is,” a senior official said, according to the daily. “Women’s cricket can wait, currently that’s not the priority.”The ICC has granted time till March 2006 for boards of all countries to complete the merger. Kulkarni informed, “It’s up to the BCCI. The International Women Cricket’s Council had asked all countries to start the merger process in 2003 and it was to be completed by 2005. India is the only country where it has not happened, so that is how we have got this extension of time. It has already taken two years, so [it’s] difficult to say how long will it take.”Kulkarni was also considering contacting Ranbir Singh Mahendra, the BCCI president, to take the matter further. “I have talked to the president and asked him if we can meet and discuss the things in person. They were busy with the meeting and after the meeting they said we would meet, so I have to get in touch with them again.”

ScorecardDay 3
Bulletin – Hoggard hat-trick triggers another rout
Verdict – Hoggard points the way to history
Roving Reporter – Bajans bank the bucks
Quotes – ‘It was a team effort’Day 2
Bulletin – Thorpe swings the balance England’s way
Verdict – Thorpe does it again
Day 1
Bulletin – Flintoff’s five give England the edge
Verdict – From Kennington to Kensington
The Paper Round – Going with the flow
News – Unprecedented security at Bridgetown

LAHORE, March 13: Opener Saeed Anwar has deferred his retirement from international cricket strengthening the speculation that all the senior players of the Pakistan team have joined hands against the PCB Chairman , Lt. Gen. Tauqir Zia, who has opted to oust them all from the cricket.”I have made up my mind for the retirement but my friends included Test cricketers and religious leaders advised me to continue playing international cricket as enough game is left in me” Saeed told journalists on Thursday.It is learnt that senior cricketers had set aside their own differences to make a joint force against PCB chairman and that prompted Saeed to defer his decision of retirement which he was likely to announce on Thursday in Lahore.Some senior players are likely to be ousted on the disciplinary charges and some like Waqar Younis and Inzamam-ul-Haq are facing the axe due to their performance in the World Cup.

The Editor
Postbag
Somerset County Gazette
St James Street
Taunton
Somerset23 July, 2001Dear Sir,I am sorry that your correspondents Mr Foyle and Mr Wight feel grumpy about the side selected to play the Australians. The Club has made it quite clear that its base priority is to maintain Division I status in both leagues. To do that, the bowlers have to be protected and kept fresh because to win, a side obviously has to plan to take 20 wickets in any match. The recent victory over Lancashire is a splendid illustration of this which I hope lifted the spirits of even Mr Foyle and Mr Wight.Tourist matches are spread around non-Test Match grounds on a rotational basis. They are non-competitive matches which most counties lucky enough to stage them look upon as a chance for supporters to just see the Tourists and to make some money for the benefit of the Members.As the Chief Executive, I try to put pressure on the Coach and Captain to field our best side but invariably lose that discussion. The side included seven capped players, two imported international players and two who have made first team appearances this season. Hardly an "invitation" side then as asserted by Mr Wight. The Captain did not wish to play against his fellow countrymen and the Club has to respect his wishes.In his grumpiness, Mr Foyle has forgotten that Somerset has continually called for centrally contracted players to be released more often to play for their counties. He has also conveniently forgotten that at the Club AGM of five years ago, a mandate was given by the members authorising the Club to investigate the possibility of selling the ground. His assertion that it is not on the agenda of any members is clearly wrong. What he means is that it is not on his because living in Taunton the future loss of car parking around the Ground, which will happen, will not affect him. Our supporters are geographically spread throughout the South West and maybe, just maybe, Mr Foyle is not listening to members from those areas. I am!The playing of the two Pakistani Internationals did not undermine team confidence. What Mr Wight could not know is that sensibly, the proposition to play them was put to the first team squad who endorsed the decision to do so.Finally, it seems okay in the minds of your correspondents that Both England and Australia can rest key players ahead of Test Matches but not okay for Somerset to do the same ahead of key county matches. Doesn’t add up, does it!Yours sincerely,P W Anderson
Chief Executive
Somerset County Cricket Club

Sri Lanka’s interim head coach, Jerome Jayaratne, has said the team has “accepted they have fallen behind” in Test cricket, and are working hard to correct that in the upcoming home series against West Indies.”I spoke to all of them individually before they went to the nets. We got a good feedback. They were well disciplined and they accepted they had fallen behind in performance and had two bad series,” Jayaratne, who was appointed interim coach following the resignation of Marvan Atapattu, said. Sri Lanka have lost their last three Test series, against New Zealand away and then to Pakistan and India at home, winning two and losing six out of eight games.Jayaratne said he expects an improved performance against West Indies, but will not be taking them lightly. “I would like to believe that we have a better chance of getting back to winning ways, but I definitely won’t underestimate the West Indies.”We’ve done a bit of research on them and know what our line of attack will be. They are an unknown quantity in the sense something of a mix with some known players like [Kemar] Roach, [Darren] Bravo and [Denesh] Ramdin coupled with a few new faces. They did well against England at home and had some decent performances.””All are aware of what is expected of them. We had lengthy discussions, and despite the rain which held us back for about a week, we have made good progress. They’ve worked very hard and I feel they will put on a very good show. If we can have a couple of good days early in the series the confidence will start to come back.”Batting and fielding are two areas that cost Sri Lanka against Pakistan and India. In the absence of a batting coach, a role that was fulfilled by Atapattu, Jayaratne has taken on the task. As for the fielding, Jayaratne said, “There is a significant improvement but they won’t be at their very best because they have some more time to reach their individual goals set by the trainer. But they will put up a better show than in the last two series. We are progressing well with all the department heads doing their part, it’s just a matter of putting them all together.”Jayaratne said he is also keen on keeping the team atmosphere good, and has instructed the players to come to him if they are not comfortable. “We have conveyed the message that we should be happy and conducive and everybody should be accepted. If anybody is having an issue, they should keep me at least confidentially informed.”Sri Lanka play West Indies in two Tests, staring on October 14.

Ricky Ponting has spoken of Australia’s fears over touring Pakistan next month as the country prepares for its elections on Monday. The Australians did not travel there in 2002 due to security issues and a similar decision is likely due to the current political instability.”Look, there is no doubt at all in our dressing room that there are some concerns,” Ponting told the Australian. “Anybody who would be touring Pakistan at the moment, whether you are a cricketer or just a day-to-day citizen, I think you would have some concerns. I don’t think we are different to anybody else.”A security inspection team is supposed to go to the country before the series, but even that is not certain to happen. Cricket Australia is hopeful of a contest at a neutral venue if Pakistan is not deemed safe and the topic will be discussed when the country’s chief executives meet in Kuala Lumpur next week.”We are being kept in the loop daily,” Ponting said. “Cricket Australia is sending an expert group over there in maybe a week’s time, to check things out, so we’ll know more about Pakistan then.”Paul Marsh, the Australian Cricketers’ Association chief executive, told AAP “everybody is concerned”, but said it was committed to assessing the situation after the elections. Phil Jaques, the Australia opener, is also willing to wait before making a decision on whether he will go on the trip.”It’s not a bad place if the environment is right,” Jaques, who visited with Australia A last year, told the Australian. “We’ll just have to see what the environment is like after the election and move from there. I’m keen as mustard to play if it’s safe to tour – and the players deem it safe.”

Do you regret your decision at the toss?
Not really, there was something in the wicket early on. It was the right decision, we bowled quite well. We did not have luck upfront beat the bats a few times, hit the pads a few times. They played well after that to reach 250.What are your plans for the future?
It’s too early really to think about anything. A lot of hard work has gone into the preparation in the last year and to be knocked out of the tournament so early is a huge disappointment for all of us.How emotional are you at this point?
Like I said, very disappointed.Can you say something about the Irfan Pathan mystery? He is always in the squad but never picked in the XI.
I think we picked the team based on what the best combination is for the day. There is a tour selection committee with a lot of experience and we decide who’s going to play and who’ s not going to play, everyone cannot play in the 15, and some guys miss out. He played against West Indies. He was unfortunately injured against Sri Lanka. He played in the Deodhar Trophy, he was declared fit and he came here. At this point we did not think he was in our three best seamers so he did not play.There was a lot of talk about Vision 2007. Where do we go from here?
It’s really early to collect my thoughts. Really disappointing, a lot of hard work has gone into it over the last year. We did not play well in this tournament and did not deserve to go into the second round.Did you think the target was gettable today?
255 was gettable. I’m disappointed with the top order. Definitely I thought it was a gettable target. I think we had the extra batsman. We lost wickets at regular intervals. We needed one big partnership, we did not get that. We definitely should have made a much better chase of it than we did in the end.Do you have any hope that Bermuda can give a shock result over Bangladesh and help you qualify for the Super Eight?
Not really. Well, anything can happen in cricket. To be honest we have not really played well enough. The things which were in our control we have not done well enough.India had a good build up to the tournament. Where do you think it went wrong?
The lead up to this tournament was pretty good. The confidence was quite high and the boys were playing good cricket. That’s the nature of one-day cricket, we had a bad game against Bangladesh where we did not really bat well upfront. That sort of put pressure on us. Today again we did not play well enough. The way the tournament is structured you have one banana-skin game and you can be out of the tournament quite quickly. We started slowly too but had enough games to pull ourselves us back. This time we did not have that, that’s where we fell I suppose. The first game against Bangladesh we did not play anywhere near our potential.

It’s not happened for the first time, the batsmen crumbling, choking under pressure…
Some of these guys have had success before as well. It’s a question of may be the guys going back and looking at their performances, how they performed in the important games and critical games. Yes, we have not batted anywhere near our potential. We picked what was the best batting line-up in the conditions but I guess we were the best batting line-up in India, but we did not bat well enough in these two games. It is definitely something to think about.Is this the worst defeat of your career?
It’s disappointing. It’s not a nice thing to lose in the early part of the World Cup. We have invested a lot of time and effort in it and it has not gone our way. It’s a big event and you really want to do well. Sports is like that, sometimes your best plans and all your ideas just don’t work.Both Pakistan and India have crashed out despite the conditions being similar to that in the subcontinent…
Both the teams did not play good cricket. I think Pakistan stumbled against Ireland and we stumbled against Bangladesh. In a tournament like it is, you have one bad day and you could be in big trouble and that’s what happened to Pakistan and India. I am sure there is a lot of thinking to do in both the countries.Is it time to look at the entire system?
I have just come out of a game and I have had no time to collect my thoughts and think about these things. But when you lose like this, that is what you should do. When you have a few setbacks, when there are disappointments, or when things like this happen, then it’s time for the people concerned to sit back and look at the whole issue and see how we can go forward and how we can g et better and keep improving, and perform better in the tournaments to come. So, yes it is obviously time for people who make decisions to sit back and reflect, and look at how we can make things better. We have to think about it rationally. I guess there is always a lot of emotions that gets involved in all these things. But it is time to look back rationally and see how we can move forward.Are you worried about security back home?
Not really. I hope the players wouldn’t be under any physical danger. To be honest, I don’t expect that to be the case. I am sure people will be disappointed, and fair enough. They have invested a lot of hope in this team and we haven’t delivered. So, they are entitled to be disappointed. But I just hope that no-one in is in any physical danger.Are you happy with the effort of the players in the tournament?
We put a lot in this game. Definitely against Bangladesh, I was pretty disappointed with just the all-round effort. But today I thought we put in hard in the field. The boys were up for it, they came out really hard and tried their best. I just think we didn’t execute well with the bat. I think 254 was a very gettable score on that wicket. We didn’t execute our plans well with the bat. We just kept losing too many wickets and that’s never a good thing when you are chasing a score like 250 at five runs and over.Do you realise the enormity of this defeat?
Nobody realizes the enormity of the defeat than the players. The players are the one who put in a lot of time. They worked really hard for this. It is an opportunity they get once in four years. It is something that you really look forward to in your career. So no-one understands the enormity of this more than the players. Definitely there is a lot of introspection and disappointment in the dressing room.It’s been difficult for India in the Caribbean…
We have done quite well in the Test matches here. Yes, we haven’t done well in the one-dayers in the last couple of series. It just hasn’t worked out for us. We, as batsmen, have just not been able to adapt to these wickets. The nature of these wickets somehow has been that, as a group, we haven’t been able to adapt to and score the kind of runs that we should.Have some players overstayed their welcome?
It is too early, and it is not for me to say these things. I am just out of a grave game of cricket. I have just lost a game of cricket. I guess there is a month now and obviously the people who make decisions will have to sit down and think about it and see what they feel is the best way to take things forward or how they felt that things should move forward.Shouldn’t some one stand up and take responsibility?
We definitely do take the responsibility. I am not sitting here and trying to shirk responsibility. I am the first one to stand up and say that we should have done better, and it starts with me. I am not trying to put the responsibility on anyone. People are asking me what’s the way forward and what do we do. I haven’t really thought about stuff like that. Till about 24 hours ago, I truly believed that we will still be in this tournament. I didn’t have the time to think what’s ahead of us. But I am not trying to say I don’t take any responsibility. I take full responsibility for the fact that we haven’t progressed to the next round.

Will you continue as captain?
I was appointed captain till the World Cup. So I am not even the captain at this point of time. So it’s not my decision to make.How does it feel for the senior members to never have won a World Cup?
It will always be a disappointment. I have played in three World Cups, and we did well in one of them. So, yeah it’s not an ideal scenario. It’s not something that, if you were writing a fairy tale, you wouldn’t write it this way. But that’s\ what sports is about. Sometimes, you don’t get to choose the way everything works out for you. That is the beauty and cruelty of sport.Can you compare this campaign with the one in 2003?
I just think we probably had a little more breathing space there to regroup there and bounce back. The way the format was in the last World Cup, it guaranteed you five or six games. So it gave you an opportunity to get into a bit form. I thought we batted a lot better in the last World Cup. We got some good scores, we chased down some good scores. I think we just adapted better to those conditions in the last World Cup then we did here, in this first week that happened so quickly for us.The captain and coach keep saying ‘everything is fine, we are going to win.’ Why doesn’t it happen?
I haven’t come across a single captain or coach as yet, who starts before a match saying we are going to lose it. Nobody will come to a press conference and say that we are going to lose the match. That’s not what you do. Definitely, we expect our batsmen and our bowlers and everyone to do well.Where did you lose?
We didn’t play good cricket. Where did we lose? We gave them 254 runs and we didn’t chase it down. We ended up with 180. No one-one feels worse about it than the players. I know you guys feel bad and disappointed about it. The players also feel disappointed. It’s a lot of time invested by the players. It’s a lot of their dreams, a lot of their hopes that go into tournaments like this. When it doesn’t work out for them, they feel it more than anyone else.