Pakistan coach Geoff Lawson has ducked questions on reports that the country’s cricket board will be grilling him over the national team’s lacklustre showing in India.
Lawson refused to give any comments when asked for his views over Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Nasim Ashraf’s statement that the Board will question him over the ‘lack of mental toughness’ showed by his charges in India where they lost both in the one-day and Test series.
 “No comments” was the former Australian pacer’s reply when asked to comment on the PCB statement. But the Sydney-based player had plenty to say about the challenges facing India in Australia this season. Lawson said that the Melbourne, Sydney, Perth and Adelaide pitches can be graveyards for fast bowlers.
 “India have got a very good batting line-up,” Lawson was quoted as saying by the Sydney Morning Herald. “What they have to do is adapt from their pitches, which are very good batting wickets, on to some Australian pitches which are going to bounce a bit more and probably some bowlers who are going to bowl better than what they have just faced, the seam bowlers in particular.
 “If India can make runs we’ll have a pretty interesting series I think because that’s their strength at the moment. “(Anil) Kumble is their captain, he’ll have to bowl well and they have to hope their fast bowlers stay fit. Their challenge is to get Australia out, take 20 wickets.
 “You don’t know (about the pitches) until you turn up for the game. The wickets in Australia have been very good batting wickets for a while now.” Former Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly led all scorers with 534 at 89.00 against Pakistan as the home side claimed a 1-0 win in a tense series.
 “The wickets were all pretty flat,” Lawson said. “It was hard work for all our bowlers and unfortunately most of our bowlers were ill or injured, so it made it really hard work for us. “It was only the pressure of the cricket. I live with every ball. It’s my team and I’m very close to all the players and you want them all to be successful. You tend to be involved with every ball bowled. “There was a lot of cricket tension but apart from that, they are an outstanding bunch of guys to be with.”