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| Small consolation: Pakistan's one-day captain Shahid Afridi, right, leads his players off the pitch at the end of the one-day cricket match against Somerset. |
lurched from one crisis to another on Thursday although their new problems are far easier to solve than those being explained away on the steps of the High Commission.
What was supposed to be a gentle warm-up match in Taunton turned into a trial of a different sort as Pakistan suffered injuries to key members of a squad already trimmed of its three players accused of spot fixing.
A total of four players left Somerset for Cardiff on Thursday night with wounds of differing levels of severity. Umar Akmal, one of the world’s leading Twenty20 batsmen, had concussion after suffering a blow in the nets before the match while seam bowlers Umar Gul and Wahab Riaz suffered finger injuries and shoulder strains respectively, although both are likely to be fit for Sunday’s first match against England.
But the back strain suffered by all-rounder Abdul Razzaq in the warm-up session between innings looks more serious, and could leave Pakistan without three of their frontline bowlers with Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir otherwise engaged meeting Scotland Yard detectives.
Taunton was the perfect refuge for a Pakistan team under siege for the week. A gloriously hot day and lengthy queues at the ice cream van summed up a day far removed from the media glare that has dogged them since the end of the Lord’s Test.
There was a palpable lifting of tension when Salman Butt, Asif and Amir left Taunton on Wednesday and the Pakistan side were focused on Thursday’s match, which ended in a narrow eight-run victory. Somerset had the usual sprinkling of debutants that counties now field against touring sides although one of them, Lewis Gregory, marked the occasion four wickets including a triple wicket maiden as Pakistan threw the bat around in the final powerplay after a hundred by Butt’s replacement, Shahzaib Hasan.
“That team fully firing might have cleaned us up a bit earlier but when you saw the death period and business end of game you could see they were well drilled in what they had to do,” said Peter Trego, standing in as Somerset captain for Marcus Trescothick, who was rested on Thursday.
“If there is any cloud hanging over those guys it needs to be addressed. The shame is it is three exceptionally good players [they have lost] and might detract away from the quality of the series with England. But on the whole with the issues around it is best they are out of the limelight now.”
The Taunton crowd were generously hospitable to Pakistan raising £5,000 through a bucket collection for the Pakistan flood relief fund. There were no abusive shouts directed at the team and even the sarcasm was kept to a low level thanks to the fact Pakistan did not bowl a front foot no ball at any stage of the match.
The only cat call came as Somerset were left chasing 32 off the last three overs. “Let’s have a couple of no balls boys,” shouted one fan. It didn’t work and Zander de Bruyn’s unbeaten hundred was in vain.
