Batting has been disappointing, admits Blackwell

Margao, Apr 1 (UNI) England left arm spinner Ian Blackwell today admitted that their batting had not been upto the mark in the last two one-dayers, which they lost to India.

After their arrival in Margao for the third one-dayer scheduled for April 3, Blackwell told reporters here that the team was lacking in stability. ''With the injury problems we have been having, we are lacking a bit of stability which is very important on a tough tour like this one.'' Blackwell admitted that they were in winning situations in both the first two games, but could not hammer the last nail in the coffin.

''However, we will assess the situation and decide upon the strategy for the third game accordingly,'' he added.

On the captaincy of Andrew Flintoff, Blackwell was all praise for the Lancashire all rounder, saying that Flintoff has been a good captain, taking all the players along with him.

About the Indian team, he said the hosts have a good team composition and even though their main players - Virender Sehwag and Rahul Dravid -- have failed to fire so far, the youngsters have taken up the challenge.

Though the English left arm spinner did not single out any particular Indian player for special praise, he did say that Suresh Raina and Mahendra Singh Dhoni had played very well in the last match to take it away from them and seal a home win.

Blackwell also said Goa was a fine place to be in and ''we all are in a relaxed mood and the weather is also much cooler than the other places.'' Both the teams arrived here in the afternoon and decided to use the day as a rest day. However, Indian captain Rahul Dravid did make a trip to the ground to have a look at the wicket on which they will be playing the third ODI.

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