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Woolmer upbeat despite drenching
The Pak coach was in confident mood ahead of next month's Champions Trophy despite seeing his carefully laid plans upset by Dutch weather.
Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer was in confident mood ahead of next month's ICC Champions Trophy tournament in England despite seeing his carefully laid plans upset by the Dutch weather.
Monday's abandoned friendly against the Netherlands at the VRA Ground, just outside Amsterdam, the final match of Pakistan's Dutch visit, was one of several fixtures either cut short or cancelled because of rain.
However, Pakistan did manage to squeeze two games in during the preceding triangular series, a rain-affected 66-run win against arch-rivals India and a 17-run defeat against Australia in Saturday's final.
"We are definitely going forward and closer to where we want to be," Woolmer said. "We weren't able to complete some of the things we wanted to do out here but that was because of the weather.
"But we are playing as a team and if we can maintain that momentum we definitely have a genuine chance of doing well in the Champions Trophy."
Former England batsman Woolmer, best known in recent years as the coach of South Africa, added he was looking forward to returning "home".
"For me it's a case of 'have team will travel'. But my son lives in London and it will also be nice to go back to Edgbaston (where Woolmer was the coach of English county side Warwickshire)."
Monday's match saw Pakistan finish on 122 for six in 22.4 overs after a wet outfield had already reduced the match to a 25 overs per side contest.
Pakistan slumped to 78 for six before an unbroken stand of 44 between all-rounder Abdul Razzaq (24 not out) and wicket-keeper Moin Khan (20 not out).
However, some teams would have completely given up on such a match, especially as the weather made the chances of a positive result all but non-existent.