| Jaipur: “Thanks, I hope to pull through,” was Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer’s response when The Telegraph wished him luck soon after news broke that strike bowlers Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammed Asif had tested positive for the banned Nandrolone. Later, both Woolmer and stand-in captain Younis Khan (as also Sri Lanka’s Mahela Jayawardene and Tom Moody) took questions from the Media.
The following are excerpts from what the rival captains and coaches had to say about the dramatic development ahead of Tuesday’s Pakistan versus Sri Lanka Champions Trophy match:
YOUNIS: Top players ke nahin khelne se mushkil hoti hai,
but cricket is a team game... Because of my nature, I remain positive and I’m
confident we will play well... Actually, the team responds well to tough situations...
Personally, I’m going to put in more... All have to share some responsibility
for what happened... Aisi koi baat nahin hai ki there are differences between
the PCB and the team... What has happened has happened... My mission remains the
same: Whether we win or lose, the quality of our cricket has to be good... As
captain, I’ve always backed my players and, Inshallah, we will do
well... How many players have tested positive? Filhal do hi hain...
WOOLMER: Younis and I are disappointed at what has happened... We haven’t discussed the issue as a team, that’s going to be done in the evening... I’m confident the players will take adversity in their stride... It’s important to put such issues behind us and look at getting full points tomorrow (Tuesday)... Do I share responsibility for what happened? For everything, the buck stops at the coach... In fact, I’d got the PCB to introduce dope testing... It’s a coach job to pre-empt... I try to create the best environment... At times like this, a lot of things go on in one’s mind... What holds me on is my love and passion for the game... We’ve got to stop the hurricane from knocking the house down... I’ve never experienced something like this before... It’s not for me to speculate on whether this is the end for Shoaib... Who knows what’s going to happen tomorrow... It’s a mystery... Getting angry doesn’t help... If I can, I ease off by playing golf or through music... Perhaps, a nice movie...
JAYAWARDENE: This development won’t change our planning... Usually, teams which get affected (by a controversy) find another gear... From a purely cricketing point, it’s disappointing as we were looking forward to the challenge of playing Shoaib...
MOODY: The involvement of drugs isn’t welcome in any sport... The full story isn’t known as yet, but it’s sad... Our players weren’t tested before we came here, but they were told that the tournament would see random dope testing...
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