RAWALPINDI, 15 March 2004 — A frail bowling attack is top of India’s concerns after they only just held on for victory over Pakistan in the thrilling first One-Day International at Karachi on Saturday.

Set a mammoth 350 target, Pakistan ran the Indians mightily close by racking up 344 for eight including a masterly 102-ball 122 from Pakistan skipper Inzamam ul-Haq.

India, missing frontline spinners Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh due to injury, had scored 349 for seven.

“We need to work on our bowling,” Indian coach John Wright told reporters yesterday.

“Winning was a mixture of delight and relief. In the end, despite getting 349 runs, it became a little too close for comfort.”

Experts felt India’s bowlers, led by left-arm seamer Zaheer Khan who is just back from a hamstring injury, had allowed Pakistan to gain the psychological advantage from the match because of their heroic run chase.

“Kumble and Harbhajan are not here and there’s no point thinking about how useful they could have been,” Wright said.

“We have to make do with the resources we have.” Left-arm paceman Ashish Nehra finally bailed India out with an extraordinary last over, giving away only three runs with some accurate full-length deliveries.

“Nehra was exceptional. We need more of that,” Wright said.

Pakistan’s bowling was also punished in the high-scoring match but manager Haroon Rashid said they were confident the pace battery of Shoaib Akhtar, Mohammad Sami and Abdul Razzaq would bounce back in the second match at Rawalpindi tomorrow.

“It was a tense match between the two teams on Pakistani soil after a long time. Our bowlers were a bit over-eager,” Rashid told reporters.

“We’re confident Shoaib and Sami will get their act together. They know everyone is banking on them and they have to protect their reputations as world-class bowlers.”

India’s Laxman Likely to

Be Fit for 2nd One-Dayer

India’s Vangipurappu Laxman, who missed Saturday’s first One-Day International due to a knee injury, is likely to be fit for the second match of the series tomorrow.

Laxman was ruled out at the last minute in Karachi due to stiffness in his left knee and missed an extraordinary game.

“We are expecting Laxman to be fit,” coach John Wright told reporters.

“He has no trouble at all with his batting, but it’s his fielding we’re a little worried about.”

Laxman was one of only four Indian players who attended an optional nets session yesterday. The stylish Hyderabad batsman had scored three centuries in a one-day tournament in Australia earlier this year.

India, Pakistan Fined

for Slow Over Rates

In Islamabad, India’s captain Saurav Ganguly was left fuming yesterday after he and his Pakistani counterpart Inzamam ul-Haq were fined for slow over-rates during the first one-dayer.

Match referee Ranjan Madugalle docked the two skippers 20 percent of their match fees and the rest of the players 10 percent each after both teams fell two overs short during Saturday’s high-scoring thriller in Karachi.

Ganguly criticized as “ridiculous” the International Cricket Council’s rule governing slow over rates which imposes only fines for slow over-rates instead of the earlier practice of docking overs. “It’s of no help to the side fielding second,” Ganguly said. “The old rule was okay where a team with a slow over rate in the first innings was docked overs when it batted.” Pakistan’s bowlers, who conceded five extra overs by sending down 30 runs in wides and no-balls, took almost 20 additional minutes to complete their 50 overs.

But the outspoken Indian captain was not amused to learn later that Pakistan’s batsmen still had 50 overs available to them.

“At the break, when I went to the match referee to ask how many overs Pakistan had to get the target in, he said there would be no overs docked,” Ganguly said. “I find that ridiculous.

“When you are in a tight situation, and when winning and not losing is so important, players don’t mind forgoing money.”