If ever there is a good time for a crushing ODI series defeat, then now, with just over a year to go before the World Cup, is probably the best time for it. After Pakistan suffered their fourth consecutive defeat to India, losing the series 4-1, Bob Woolmer, their coach, admitted the timing was one of the only positives to come out of it. "I'll go on record to say it that I am glad this defeat happened now rather than later in this year. We have to look carefully at all aspects of our game, our batting, bowling and fielding."
Pakistan's fielding had been below par through the series and although they dropped less catches than India, their ground fielding struggled. As they succumbed to Yuvraj Singh and Mahendra Singh Dhoni chasing 287, their fielding deteriorated alarmingly. They missed run-out chances, dropped a couple of catches, conceded overthrows and fumbled alarmingly often in the field. Woolmer, although admitting the fielding was poor, asserted it wasn't through any lack of effort on the part of his players.
"Catches win matches but our ground fielding was very poor and hasn't been great through the series. The Indians have fielded superbly through the series although they dropped a few catches as well." He added, "These small things make a huge difference eventually but I think the guys worked and tried hard today and it just didn't happen for us. We have fielded well in the past but when things go wrong, everything goes wrong."
The Pakistan Cricket Board said publicly yesterday that they were considering hiring Jonty Rhodes as a fielding coach and Woolmer said he was open to the idea. "If they have the money for it, I'm happy with the idea. But as it is we work hard on our fielding and we do a lot of drills in practice on it. Like I said, everything just went wrong for us today. Basic things went against us like picking up balls cleanly, mistiming our dives. It got worse under the pressure as India chased."
Woolmer had special praise for Yuvraj Singh, whose imperious hundred settled the match today and whose performances through this series have been little short of spectacular. "He's a very good player now isn't he? When we played him last year we were able to get him out but this time round, he hasn't looked like getting out at all. I hope that hamstring strain doesn't affect his participation in the series against England because he looks an absolutely fantastic cricketer."
Pakistan lost this series in every department though, whether it was their regular top-order collapses or their poor bowling, Mohammad Asif apart. Woolmer readily acknowledged that they had been outplayed. "India regrouped and played a lot better than we did everywhere in the field. It's difficult to put a finger on where specifically they beat us. In the third game the toss was more important than we perhaps thought and they have chased brilliantly all the way through this series. But like I said, we need to look at everything about our game before the various challenges we have ahead of us this year."