Can they turn things around?

In an attempt to shield captain Shoaib Malik from what was undoubtedly going to be an edgy press conference, coach Geoff Lawson walked in himself, and he opened the interaction by laying down the law: 8220;A couple of rules before we start. Don8217;t make statements, ask questions. Make questions sensible or I won8217;t answer. If someone asks a question twice, I won8217;t answer,8221; he said, also asking a journalist to speak proper English.

A couple of heated exchanges later, the media walked out in a huff.

The issue didn8217;t end there. With the PCB unhappy with Lawson for having provoked journalists, the coach made a public apology on Monday. 8220;I would like to clarify that the incident that took place at the press conference after the Pakistan-Sri Lanka match is most unfortunate,8221; he said in a statement released by the PCB. 8220;What happened was regrettable and I would like to apologise for the events that led to the incident. I appreciate that the media has a job on hand to do and at the end of the day our collective efforts should be focused on getting good performances from the team.8221;

But while the PCB might have managed to temporarily cool down the situation, they are sure the issue will not fade away. 8220;This will become a national issue. Experts will give opinions on what made Lawson leave, and television anchors will analyse how the PCB has got it all wrong once again. What happened was a result of a defeat and the reasons are merely cricket. But it won8217;t remain that way,8221; an official said.

Under the circumstances, things look really bad for the team. Unfortunately, they could get much worse, especially if the team doesn8217;t qualify for the final. Pakistan thumped Hong Kong in their opening game before going down to India, who comfortably chased down 300 in their group game. Sunday8217;s loss to Sri Lanka has put them in a situation where they have to win their two remaining games 8212; against India and Bangladesh 8212; to have a chance of making it to the title-clash.

India and Sri Lanka have been playing cricket at a level several notches above what the hosts have produced so far and, as things stand, it8217;s hard to see Shoaib Malik8217;s side come out all guns blazing on Wednesday.

But then again, any Pakistan team that8217;s backed into a bickering corner has historically been a dangerous proposition on the cricket field. This is the same team that came back from a 140-run loss to India to win the tri-series final against India. After all, 8216;unpredictable8217; is a word that8217;s definitely part of Pakistan8217;s cricket dictionary 8212; one that both India and Sri Lanka should be wary of.

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