"We've talked about what we did in Australia and we’ve learnt from our mistakes"
England captain Collingwood: Pakistan side is "dangerous…you never know what you are going to get"
Teams arrive for Friday and Saturday’s WorldCall T-20 Challenge presented by Bank Alfalah at Dubai Sports City
Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik said on Sunday it was time to draw a line under his side’s disastrous recent tour of Australia.
During that trip Pakistan lost three Tests, five One-Day Internationals and a Twenty20 International (T20I) against the hosts.
But after arriving in Dubai with his squad on Sunday to face England on Friday and Saturday in the WorldCall T-20 Challenge presented by Bank Alfalah, Malik said it was time for the players and fans to look to the future.
"We didn't play well but it's history now," said Malik, who has taken over the T20I captaincy from Shahid Afridi, suspended from Friday's match as he serves the second game of a two-match ban for ball tampering.
"When you lose things always come up but you always learn from your mistakes, we’ve had meetings and talked about what we did in Australia and we’ve learnt from our mistakes."
Malik said that prior to travelling with the squad he appeared before a committee set up in Pakistan to examine why the side failed on its recent tour.
"I've answered all those questions," he said. "I went to the six-member committee yesterday (on Saturday) and I gave them what I had to."
"Whatever's happened is for the betterment of Pakistan cricket and I’m sure it will help the Pakistan team and players."
"But that is history now, we're looking forward to these two matches and I just want to concentrate on my cricket now," he added.
England captain Paul Collingwood, whose side also arrived in Dubai on Sunday, said that despite Pakistan's unsuccessful tour of Australia, the world champions at the shortest form of the international game could still not be underestimated.
"Pakistan are dangerous, it is as simple as that," he said. "Whenever you come to play Pakistan they are a difficult side to beat."
"Pakistan are very strong in Twenty20 cricket and we are going to have to be right on our game to beat them."
"It might be a good time to play them (after the tour of Australia) but you never know what you are going to get on the day so it is literally about us concentrating on our own game," he added.
The matches are the last for both sides ahead of the ICC World Twenty20 event in the Caribbean in April and May.
Tickets prices for the matches start at AED75 (Friday 19 February) and AED50 (Saturday 20 February) and go up to AED500 (Friday) and AED400 (Saturday) and they are now available through www.boxofficeme.com, www.ticketingboxoffice.com or by calling +971 4 367 6520.
Corporate hospitality packages are also available and details can be obtained by contacting Ms Ekta Hutton at Dubai Sports City on +971 4 425 1111.
Both matches start at 1800 local time with gates opening at 1500.
Pakistan is the most successful side in T20I history, having won 21 of its 28 matches in this format of the game.
Audio from the arrival media conferences of both Shoaib Malik and Paul Collingwood is available by contacting Mikele Ugarte (details below).
Mikele Ugarte
Consultant
Wallis Marketing Consultants
Tel: +971 4 390 1950 (office)
Email: Mikele.ugarte@wallis-mc.com
Brian Murgatroyd
Dubai Sports City
Tel: +971 4 425 1111, extension 620
Mobile: +971 55 349 3698
Email: brianm@dxbsport.com |
