Pak team arrives to ‘settle scores’ with India

“Our defeat in the Twenty20 World Cup final is history and we are here to play a new series,” Malik told a crowded press conference.

Coach Geoff Lawson said Pakistan would try to avenge their Twenty20 final defeat against the Indian team.

“We had lost the final of Twenty20 World Cup against India, so we have some scores to settle,” he said.

Pakistan arrived in India without pace spearhead Mohammad Asif who is nursing an elbow injury that also makes him doubtful for the entire series but Lawson asserted the pace attack was capable of compensating for the injured speedster.

“At the moment, we have four very good pace bowlers in the ranks. Shoaib Akhtar is back and Umar Gul was outstanding in the Twenty20 World Cup. Rao Iftikar was the highest wicket-taker in the series against South Africa and then we also have Sohail Tanveer. Of course you need a pacer of Asif’s calibre and we are expecting him to join the side after completing rehabilitation,” said the Australian.

He also refused to read much into some of the former players’ observation that India would start favourites in the series.

“Well, it’s nice that former players make observations on current players but in spite of that, we have to play well and do well. There is not much between being favourites and not being favourites,” he said.

Malik, as well as his Indian counterpart Mahendra Singh Dhoni, would need to handle senior players in their respective sides but that hardly seemed a worry for the Pakistani.

“I have played with Shoaib Akhtar Bhai, Mohammad Yousuf and Younis Khan for a long time and we get along well. They have been very good to me and cooperated a lot. So I don’t see it as a problem.”

On whether frequent India-Pakistan series was killing the charm, Malik said, “I don’t think so. The more we play, the better it is for us. Indo-Pak series is always very exciting and it’s a gentleman’s game. So the more it is, the better it is,” he said.