Inzamam defends decision to bat first

Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul Haq's decision to bat first after winning the toss against the West Indies in the semi-final of the ICC Champions Trophy was much in debate after his team's defeat leading to their exit from the tournament.

Inzamam had surprisingly elected to bat against West Indies in the semifinal under overcast conditions at the Rose Bowl on Wednesday but the decision backfired as they were bowled out for a paltry 131.

But the Pakistani captain defended his decision and said the batsmen failed to take the responsibility after a fine start.

"I don't think it was a wrong decision. We were 65 for one at one stage. The batting collapse happened only later.

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"We chose to bat because we thought a total of 220 would have been good on that wicket. We also thought it would be very difficult to chase. It was my decision so I take the responsibility," he said.

"West Indies bowled really well but after the good start provided by our openers, the rest of our batsmen did not take the responsibility."

West Indian vice-captain Ramnaresh Sarwan said they were also surprised with Inzamam's decision to bat first.

"We were very surprised. It was a dicey wicket to begin with and got better as the day went along."