Pakistan want no acrimony in India series

NEW DELHI—Pakistan cricket coach Geoff Lawson said on Thursday he hoped the series against rivals India starting next week would be played without the acrimony that marred the home team’s recent one-dayers against Australia.
Pakistan’s team landed in Delhi on Thursday for the fourth bilateral series between the rival countries in the last four years amid tight security. Skipper Shoaib Malik and Lawson said they were ready for the usual tension and wanted to avenge the Twenty20 World Cup loss. “I think it is bigger than the Ashes,” Lawson told a news conference, referring to the renowned Test series between England and Australia. “It is a national rivalry and a little more than a cricket game. “We tied a Twenty20 (league) game and lost in the final,” he said. “We’ve got a few scores to settle.”
The clash follows India’s 4-2 defeat by Australia in their one-day series last month which was marred by verbal clashes between rival players on and off the pitch and racial taunts from the stands aimed at Andrew Symonds. Lawson hoped it would be as incident-free as the home series against South Africa which ended on Monday with the visitors clinching the test and one-day series.
“We just played a series against South Africa — very hard, tough, non-compromising cricket,” he said. “But there was not one bad word said between the teams. “The series was played in a very fine spirit, as cricket should be. I hope this series is played in exactly the same style. “We’ve got a captain who likes his players to behave properly on the field,” he said. “I’m pretty sure MS Dhoni likes his players to do the same.”
Malik said the teams were evenly matched despite Pakistan fast bowler Mohammad Asif being sidelined with an elbow injury. Pakistan play a warm-up one-day game on Friday against the Delhi Ranji team. The five-match one-day series starts on Monday and will be followed by three tests.
The teams have toured each other’s country annually since 2004 when India went on a full tour of Pakistan after a 14-year break due to political tensions between the two neighbours.
Salman Butt lashed 83 from 84 balls to guide Pakistan to a seven-wicket win over the Delhi Ranji Trophy side in a one-day warm-up on Friday. The 23-year-old left-hander hit 13 fours and a six against a modest bowling attack to guide Pakistan to 215 for three in 42.4 overs after restricting Delhi to 213 for nine.—Agencies