Pak batsmen lacked confidence from Champions Trophy beginning, says Sohail Tanvir

Karachi: Pakistan seam bowler Sohail Tanvir has said that he believed that the team`s batsmen lacked confidence right from the beginning of the ICC Champions Trophy, which was responsible for their disappointing show in the tournament.

Tanvir was one of the players who were overlooked by the selectors for the tournament in England and Wales. Stating that the batsmen looked short of confidence in the games against Ireland, Tanvir said that this lack of confidence carried on to the Champions Trophy, adding that although the warm up match against South Africa was the highlight of the tour but it proved to be a false dawn. According to Tanvir, Pakistan struggled and only narrowly managed to win the two match series against Ireland, adding that a rousing victory in Ireland would have helped the Pakistani batsmen prepare for the Champions Trophy. Expressing his disappointment at his teammates` struggle during the eight-nation tournament, Tanvir further said that given Pakistan`s record in previous ICC tournaments, there were high expectations from the team, adding that the batsmen needed to provide the bowlers with some decent scores around the 220 run mark to defend. Commenting on his time working with the fast bowling legend Wasim Akram at a training camp, Tanvir stated that Akram`s advice for him was focused more on the mental side of the game and boosting his self-belief and confidence. Tanvir has signed for Hampshire for all three formats this season and he feels that his stint at Hampshire could prove to be pivotal in his career as he looks to cement a place in Pakistan`s limited over teams. ANI