Yousuf’s the man, say Inzi, Lara

MULTAN—West Indian captain Brian Lara hailed Mohammad Yousuf’s match-saving innings in the second Test but urged his team to improve the sloppy fielding that keeps letting Pakistan off the hook.
“He (Yousuf) played brilliantly and stayed till the end,” said Lara of Yousuf, whose 191 was his seventh century of the year, equalling the current Test record. “Pakistan owes a lot to Yousuf, he is a great bat, someone who can score seven centuries in one year has to be very special and he showed that again today,” added Lara.
Lara said that if his team want to level the three-match series in Karachi they needed to lift their fielding. Yousuf was one of the main beneficiaries, being let off in the slips by Runako Morton off paceman Daren Powell when the batsman was on 108.
The tourists also dropped Imran Farhat on 43 on the fourth day. The left-handed opener went on to make 76 and added 119 runs for the third wicket with Yousuf. “We will have to work on our fielding, because catches win matches,” said Lara.
The tourists also dropped Yousuf three times during his 192 he made in the first Test in Lahore last week to help the home team win by nine wickets. “We didn’t take chances presented to us. Now we’ve got a Test match left and we will work on our fielding,” said Lara, whose team has now just two wins in their last 26 Tests.
Lara, who made an epic 216 in the West Indies’ only innings, said his team had set their sights on the last Test. “It was a tough test match where we failed to win but now it’s behind us and we have to work hard in the final Test. We were in the commanding position up until the fifth day. “I am very proud of the guys that they pushed for a win and now we are very optimistic about our chances in Karachi,” said Lara, who said the Multan pitch was not helpful for bowlers. “It (pitch) was still good for batting even on the fifth day. The wicket was a batting track from day one and the bowlers toiled on it. After 20 to 25 overs there was not much sideways movement.”
Meanwhile Pakistani captain Inzamam said Yousuf was a “match winner as well as match saviour” for the team. “Yousuf has been in an exemplary form. He has played two world class innings, one won us the match in Lahore and here he saved us,” said Inzamam of Yousuf.
The Pakistani now has 1,562 runs in ten Tests in 2006, the second highest ever in a calendar year. West Indian maestro Viv Richards holds the record for with 1,710 in ten Tests in 1976. “To play an innings like that under pressure you need to be world class and Yousuf is a world class batsman,” said the Pakistan captain. Inzamam said a fighting draw was morale boosting for his team.
“It (the draw) will raise the team’s confidence. It needed a lot of character to come from a 200-plus deficit in the first innings and we showed resilience by fighting in the second innings”.—Agencies