Daily Times

You call it a disaster, a tragedy, a catastrophe. Whatever you name it, nothing will ever come close to the humiliation our national cricket team has brought upon themselves. The recent debacle of the Pakistan Cricket Team by the hands of Australia was another nail in the coffin of our team’s existence.

Australia easily won the two-match Test series and left our team with a plethora of questions. Most of them will forever remain unanswered. During the first test (November 21 to 24, 2019) Pakistani batsmen could not keep pace with the Australian attack. They were all out on 240 in their first innings. They played 86.2 overs. Only five of its batsmen could score in double figures with the highest being 76 (134) by Asad Shafiq. Australia went for the kill in their first innings. They scored 580 in 157.4 overs. Marnus Labuschagne scored 185 (279) and David Warner 154 (296). During the second innings, Pakistani batsmen continued showing their incompetency. Babar Azam dealt with the Australian attack with some resistance when he scored 104 (173) and Mohammad Rizwan was sent to the pavilion five short from his century. Not only six Pakistani batsmen scored in single figures, but two also lost their wickets on zero. Australia won the first test by an innings and five runs.

It has been observed that the Pakistani cricket team rises after a tragedy. However, this time it was not the case. The humiliation would repeat itself during the second test (November 29 to December 2, 2019). Pakistan’s miseries continued. Australia elected to bat first and made the Pakistani bowlers look like college students. Warner led the attack. He scored 335 (418) to become the seventh Australian player to score a triple ton. Shaheen Shah Afridi did take the wicket of opener Joe Burns when he was at 4 (9). However, Labuschagne added 162 off 238 to give Australia a mammoth first innings target of 589. They declared in the 127th over after losing only three wickets.

In reply, Pakistan’s batting order crumbled like a pack of cards. The openers lost their wickets cheaply with Shan Masood scoring 19 (50) and Imam-ul-Haq 2 (16). Babar Azam did put some fight by scoring 97 (132). Yasir Shah, however, played a brilliant knock of 113 off 213 deliveries. That was about it. Five batsmen scored in single figures including two players returning on zero. Pakistan was all out on 302 in 94.4 overs. A follow on was imposed. And this spelled disaster, again. Five players lost their wickets on single figures. Shan Masood scored 68 (127) and Asad Shafiq made 57 (112). While talking about the Pakistani bowlers, they looked like playing cricket for the first time. Shaheen Shah Afridi took three wickets at an economy rate of 2.93 and conceded 88 runs in 30 overs. No other bowler showed any resistance. It was utter chaos in the bowling department. Yasir Shah, who is known for his calculated deliveries blended with spin, conceded 197 runs in 32 overs at an economy of 6.15. Nothing went Pakistan’s way. And why should it when the team selection was not according to the match, the opponent or the pitch conditions?

Even Rameez Raja, during his video released on social media, could not find the words to express his feelings. He said he does not feel like giving an analysis. He said we are now done backing this team

Even Rameez Raja, during his video released on social media, could not find the words to express his feelings. He said he does not feel like giving an analysis. He said we are now done backing this team. He went on to say that the middle order could not handle the Australian bowlers, and that is exactly what happened. He talked about how Warner created a rhythm to continue scoring. None of the Pakistani bowlers could break his rhythmt. Raja appreciated the skills of Shaheen Shah Afridi and said that no other Pakistan bowler had the courage, competency or the idea to counter Warner’s attack. He even criticized Yasir Shah for he did deliver flighted deliveries in Brisbane’s breezy conditions. Raja said that the Australian fans were not too impressed by Warner’s triple century because it was a one-sided affair. They (the Australian fans) were expecting a fight from Pakistan as well.

There are several problems with the Pakistan cricket team. First, the team selection has been appalling, to say the least for the tour to Australia. They were a bunch of players trying to survive. Secondly, the bowlers could not adjust to the pitch conditions.

The Pakistan Cricket Board must hire selectors, managers, coaches and trainers who can give a team that can play, survives Test matches by winning or ended them in a draw and evolve as a unit in the process. What we have now is a horde doing physical exertion without a plan – that is to play and win.

The writer is an independent researcher, author and columnist