ICC CWC\'19: \'We haven\'t put up a perfect game yet\', says Pakistan coach Mickey Arthur
Manchester: On the eve of India-Pakistan match in the World Cup, Pakistan coach Mickey Arthur on Saturday said that the team has not played a perfect game yet. The coach also said if Pakistan puts all disciplines together, then they can beat anyone in the world.
"If we put three disciplines together, we can beat anyone in the world. We haven't put a perfect game yet, we are confident of displaying perfect cricketing skills. If we put it all together, we are a good cricket team," Arthur told reporters at the pre-match conference.
When asked about whether the India-Pakistan match has more pressure on the players, he said each game comes with a different kind of challenge.
"There's pressure on each and every game. We are excited about tomorrow and we are pretty confident that we will perform to the best of our ability," Arthur said.
Arthur said it will be difficult to rattle the Indian top-order but if Pakistan fails to do so then they would pose a challenge to them.
"When you get into Indian top-order, you can wreak havoc. It's paramount to rattle the Indian top-order, otherwise, they can hurt you. (Shoaib) Malik brings a lot of experience in our dressing room. I hope his skills and experience do wonders for us tomorrow. Experienced players can help the youngsters in our team," he said.
Arthur said that he had a look at the pitch yesterday and he opined that the 22 yards look quite flat. He said it's important for the team to latch on to every opportunity if the team needs to win more matches.
"We had a look at the pitch yesterday and it looked quite flat. We have been close in most of our games. There were moments that presented an opportunity for us, you are not going to win each game, but it's paramount to latch on to every opportunity.
Arthur said he is not sure about the weather conditions, so the team will make the final call on the playing XI tomorrow. He, however, pointed out that he is expecting around 1.5 million viewers so the match would be an unbelievable opportunity for the cricketers.
"I am not 100 per cent sure that there is a massive amount of moisture in the Manchester wicket. We had a chat yesterday and we will make a final call on the playing XI tomorrow. You have to take weather out of the equation, we need to be concerned about what we can control. Everything we can control has been taken care of," Arthur said.
"I saw the stat that tomorrow's match can attract 1.5 million viewers. If you do something tomorrow, it will be remembered by millions across the globe.
Tomorrow presents an unbelievable opportunity for the players," he said.
Pakistan dropped quite a few catches in the match against Australia. Arthur said fielding is something the team can control and he hoped for everything to come together in the India-Pakistan match.
"We cannot do more, we have worked pretty hard. fielding is an attitude. Batting and bowling is something you cannot control, but fielding is something you can definitely control. We want to give it our all tomorrow. Hopefully, it all clicks, it just takes one moment of magic to grab the game by its neck.
Pakistan has often been termed as the most unpredictable side in the world. Arthur said that there are many young players in the team and playing in a pressure cooker situation will enable them to improve their skills.
"When our players go out to the field, it's always like how will they perform. I know this happens with a younger team, we have the youngest team in the tournament. There are some outstanding young players in our team and they will turn out to be the biggest superstars.
Pakistan has won just one match in the World Cup so far. They were able to stun tournament hosts England, but they suffered defeats at the hands of West Indies and Australia. Their match against Sri Lanka got abandoned due to rain.
Pakistan takes on India on June 16 in Manchester.
