By Khalid Hussain, IANS,
Karachi : Pakistan coach Geoff Lawson doesn’t have many friends in the Pakistani media. The temperamental Aussie will have even fewer of them after yet another outburst at the post-match press conference here at the National Stadium late Sunday night.
With Pakistan almost out of the Asia Cup following a 64-run defeat to Sri Lanka, skipper Shoaib Malik decided against facing the media. Instead Lawson turned up and made it clear that he was only there to take questions and not to hear statements.
The journalists protested, Lawson threatened to walk out, but relented. Now, the media persons were unwilling to go ahead with the briefing. They staged a walk-out, leaving the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) with another prickly issue to tackle. PCB sources said that efforts were on to convince Lawson to issue an apology.
Lawson began his stint as Pakistan coach on the wrong foot last summer with a fractious press conference after his team was thrashed in a Test match here at the National Stadium by South Africa.
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No Time for training
The fatigued Indian cricketers are still in a relaxing mood. After having enjoyed the time in a nearby resort here Sunday, the Indian took another day off and spent the morning in the hotel rooms.
Only three of them turned up for training at the National Bank of Pakistan Sports Complex Monday morning. Brothers Irfan and Yousuf Pathan and uncapped left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha were seen training at the Complex.
Others preferred to stay at the hotel and attended physical training sessions that included some time at the gym and a dip in the pool. Not a bad decision considering the fact that Karachi is really hot and humid these days and retaining one’s body fluids is a tough task.
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Indians’ great escape
After two grinding back-to-back matches against hosts Pakistan and Bangladesh last week, Indian cricketers made a great escape to a retreat just outside Karachi to have some fun on a hot and humid day.
With two more Asia Cup games against Pakistan and Sri Lanka coming up on June 2 and 3, the Indians made the most of an outing to the Dreamworld resort, situated around 32 kilometres north of Pakistan’s biggest city and commercial hub.
For skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, it was a perfect opportunity to sharpen his skills as a sharpshooter at the resort’s shooting range.
His teammates were seen indulging in different activities, ranging from sliding in the pool to playing cricket even though most of them have been complaining of a tight international schedule.