Wright admits need to improve bowling performance

Late in the day when the Pakistan team turned up for practice their manager Haroon Rashid too echoed Wright’s feelings and reckoned both sides have had a chance to assess themselves. ‘‘We have seen each other at close ends, now we know each other’s strong and weak points. India will look at how the bowling fared, we too will look at how we gave so many extras. So it was good time to test each other.’’

Even as Rashid was saying this, Pakistani coach Javed Miandad stationed himself close to the popping crease and drew a Laxman Rekha for Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammed Sami.And each time the two pace demons overstretched Miandad would shout aloud asking them to not repeat the mistakes.

More importantly as Wright said the ‘nerves of both sides have settled’. And opined that the bowling of the Indian team in the middle and last overs needed some running repairs. ‘‘The series is now up and running and so we should a really close series. I reckon it will be a high scoring series if one goes by what we have seen in Lahore and Karachi.’’

But Wright said the bigger objective for the series was to see that the players enjoy and embrace the experience of playing in Pakistan. ‘‘I am coming here after I last played here in 1985. I enjoyed that tour and hope the players do so too. Obviously the enjoyment is proportionate to results.’’

Like Rashid, Wright too lauded the ‘special’ last over by Nehra and dropped huge hints that Pathan and Parthiv might get a look-in as the series progresses.