Philander tells Greenshirts to fully concentrate on upcoming matches

ISLAMABAD: Excited at a massive 10-wicket win against India Sunday, Greenshirts’ bowling coach Vernon Philander has urged his charges to stay focused and grounded in an effort to continue with the same vein in the important matches to come.

In a virtual media talk, a day ahead of yet another highly-charged T20 World Cup outing against New Zealand today (Tuesday) in Sharjah, Philander said that he wanted his boys to forget about what had happened on Sunday and concentrate fully on the upcoming matches.

“Yes, it was a massive win against India and I am excited to have achieved such a big win in my first match as Pakistan’s bowling coach. We celebrated the win Sunday and that was it. I have told my players to stay grounded by forgetting about what has happened the other day. It is just the start of the mega event as there is more to come and the requirement is to focus even extra. We should get ready for tougher matches ahead of us, especially against New Zealand.”

Philander termed the encounter against New Zealand as yet another big game as far as Pakistan’s chances of progressing to the next stage were concerned. “Tuesday’s match is very important from Pakistan’s perspective as such our focus is on our second outing. Hopefully, the boys would reset their focus and would be ready for tomorrow.”

Philander was not ready to discuss Pakistan’s combination for the match against New Zealand. “It is all up to the captain and the coach to finalise the combination.”

On Hasan Ali’s conceding too many runs against India in the opener, he said: “Hasan is a champion bowler. Admitted he conceded too many runs but someone has to go under the hammer in such a big match. There were short boundaries which were also a reason for conceding fours and sixes. Overall I think the bowling was exceptional and that is why we restricted India to a low total.”

Philander had all the praise for Shaheen Shah Afridi for his exceptional quality of bringing the ball into the right-hander. “He is exceptional as well as capable of making the difference. When you bowl fast and have the ability to move the ball in both directions, you are an asset to the team. It is always wonderful to have such a talent. His line was fantastic last night. I just encourage him what he has been doing for his country.”

Philander was also worried a bit about Pakistan’s inconsistency. “Yes, inconsistency has been one of the issues with the Pakistan team over the years and that is what we want to overcome as team’s coaches. Hopefully, with the efforts of the coaches and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) things are heading in the right direction.”

On a personal front, Philander hoped that his association with the team would help Pakistan make progress. “My effort would be to help bowlers bowl to their maximum ability.”