“I was shocked and sad to see Pakistan’s batting today” : Inzamam-ul-Haq

[Abdullah719]

Inzamam-ul-Haq on his YouTube channel:

“Pakistan has played 50 overs today and only two are out but I am sad to see the way Pakistan batted today. Perhaps they thought they can save the Test that’s why they have scored at 2 an over. But I am never happy with this type of cricket.

“The way Pakistan’s batsman played, I was sad to see it. The bowlers were bowling at 130-132kph but the way Pakistan’s batsmen were playing, I have never seen something like that. Since the beginning, Pakistan’s batsmen are always a little aggressive.

“Fine, the match situation is as it is but surely you should have some pride inside you. On the short ball, you keep ducking and moving, you don’t move your feet at the full balls. I was shocked and sad to see Pakistan’s batting today. You have self-respect and pride that you’re playing for Pakistan. I don’t like saying this but I was very sad today.

“Sure, take your time but that doesn’t mean to play like this. By batting like this, you have given England an opportunity. Even if you play 100 overs, they have a chance (to win the game). You didn’t attack them even a little bit. You have to score off the bowlers to shake them, make them change their line, etc.

“Only Archer bowls a little fast in the 140s. Anderson, Broad, and Woakes aren’t so fast that you can’t handle their short balls or drive their full balls.

“Misbah and Younis are in the management, surely they can tell them how to be a little aggressive. Saving a Test match is one thing but you need to have some pride. You’re an international player. As a Pakistani sitting outside, this is how I felt.

“If they keep playing like this, only rain can save them. The way they played today if there wasn’t bad light and rain, they could be in trouble. If they lose 1-2 wickets at any point, they will be in deep trouble. The way Pakistan can be saved is the weather and their spinner. Thank God that they don’t have a good spinner who will take wickets on Day 5.

“England’s ball wasn’t swinging at all after the rain. The ground became wet and with the wet ball, it wasn’t swinging. This is why they came around the wicket and bowled short. It was shocking to see the way Pakistan played the short ball as though they are incapable of facing it.

“I think there will be 40-45 overs tomorrow due to rain but if 1-2 wickets fall, they will find it tough to survive. Yes, you need to stay at the wicket but there isn’t only one way, that you leave every ball.

“In my whole life, I have watched cricket and I haven’t seen so many balls left alone. Since the first day, I have been saying that I have seen England playing a lot and I toured there a lot. The moment you are a bit aggressive and positive, the bowling changes. Your confidence increases, the bowlers’ approach and captains’ approach changes.

“If Pakistan play like this tomorrow, they will give them a chance to attack them and we can be in trouble.

“If I am sitting padded up and the batsmen are playing like this then I will be 50% out in the dressing room. If you hit the ball properly then you give confidence to the rest of the team. Batting like this also puts presure on the other batsmen. So you need to change your style and thinking toward batting.

“The way Abid Ali and Azhar Ali were batting… On the previous day, Azhar made 140* and now he has made 20 runs in 100 balls. So is he not in good form? Abid played 160 balls and made 40 runs. That’s not the way to play cricket.

“I don’t usually talk like this but I am very sad to see the way they batted today. I know these players and they can all play much better and they should. You’re international players and you will always be under pressure. That doesn’t mean that you go into one mode and forget everything else. This is like club standard cricketers who play all balls in one way. You’re an international player with different gears. Raise your game and better your standard.

“Rain is expected tomorrow so probably only 40-50 overs will be played. But at least play them in a way that makes it look like the Pakistan team is playing.”

 

[Prince of Pakistan]

What rubbish from Inzi.

He expects 'this' Pakistan to perform like Australia or India? Pak would have lost after initiating a collapse. They can't handle the pressure of a few quick wickets.

This is the maximum our batsmen can do and could have done in a situation like this. Yes the wicket was flat, but we have seen shocking collapses in the past from Pakistani batsmen of these standards.

 

[Mamoon]

It was a cowardly performance indeed but what do you expect from these mediocre nobodies?

Shan and Abid are both rubbish and Azhar is on his last legs.

Without rain Pakistan had a 0% chance of escaping with a draw. We simply don’t have the talent or the temperament or the technique to last two days let alone under such pressure.

Regardless of whether there is enough time for England to force a result tomorrow, we have been royally humiliated and exposed in this series.

 

[Slim]

“The way Abid Ali and Azhar Ali were batting… On the previous day, Azhar made 140* and now he has made 20 runs in 100 balls. So is he not in good form? Abid played 160 balls and made 40 runs. That’s not the way to play cricket."

This^ spot on inzi.

 

[MenInG]

An alternate view from Andrew Strauss:


"It has been a really attritional day of Test cricket. England have had to work hard for their wickets against a Pakistan side that has shown a lot of application, motivation and desire. They are not going to lay over and die. England are slowly manoeuvring their way into a position to win this game but with rain forecast tomorrow, it will be a race against time."

 

[GoUgandaCranes]

England are a totally defensive cricket team with just no ability to push for a win. Most of the players in the team do not match the hype that they get from the broadcasters that need to create stars for the English public to make the game marketable.

300 runs ahead, day 4, bad weather possible on day 5 yet the spinner is operating with a deep cover and just one close-in catcher. This in a time when winning the match is of utmost importance because of the possibility to be top 2 in the test cricket championship.

Only two groups of people will appreciate this performance from England namely blind fans, and ex-Pakistani players who have lost their jobs.

 

[Nervesofsteel]

An alternate view from Andrew Strauss:


"It has been a really attritional day of Test cricket. England have had to work hard for their wickets against a Pakistan side that has shown a lot of application, motivation and desire. They are not going to lay over and die. England are slowly manoeuvring their way into a position to win this game but with rain forecast tomorrow, it will be a race against time."

A sensible person like Strauss will usually make a lot more sense than someone like Inzi. As much as I loved Inzi's batting...he was never much of an analyst or pundit.

 

[chacha kashmiri]

Not sure whether he thinks zaheer abbas and asif iqbal are playing out there but abid and azhar were only playing their natural game
Maybe masood should have feasted more on the freebies that were on offer

 

[HappyWarsFan]

It was fine given the situation. I'd have liked to be a bit higher to relieve some pressure, but this approach was not bad.

 

[Bhaijaan]

He knows better but this sounds unnecessary and unfair given PCT are looking for a draw here as rain has pretty much made a Pakistan win impossible here.

 

[Abdullah719]

Inzi was a bit OTT with some of his comments but the crux of his argument is understandable.

If Pakistan continues to score at this rate of ~2 an over for 120 overs and they are bowled out, they will still lose. Hence, they are pretty much solely relying on rain to avoid defeat at this point.

No runs are being made and no pressure is being put back on the bowlers. Hence, they are free to attack. As soon as Pakistan lose a wicket (if there is play tomorrow), you have Asad coming in who is averaging 10 this series, then Fawad who hasn’t done anything. So Pakistan are clearly not out of the woods yet by any means.

 

[Firebat]

Inzi was a bit OTT with some of his comments but the crux of his argument is understandable.

If Pakistan continues to score at this rate of ~2 an over for 120 overs and they are bowled out, they will still lose. Hence, they are pretty much solely relying on rain to avoid defeat at this point.

No runs are being made and no pressure is being put back on the bowlers. Hence, they are free to attack. As soon as Pakistan lose a wicket (if there is play tomorrow), you have Asad coming in who is averaging 10 this series, then Fawad who hasn’t done anything. So Pakistan are clearly not out of the woods yet by any means.

I wouldn't necessarily agree. Doesn't matter how fast or slow the run rate is, the objective is to bat out all available overs. They are not solely relying on rain, they are relying on batting as long as they can. How they achieve that is a different matter.

Clearly Abid, Shan and Azhar believed blocking and leaving and playing an RR of 2 gave them the best chance of doing that, which I agree is the disappointing thing. As a fan, obviously you want to see positive and exciting cricket.

Other batsmen, like Inzi, would say that counter attacking and putting pressure back on the bowlers would give them a better chance of surviving the overs.

Either way, they will be criticised if they lose, whether they attacked or not. If they tried counter attacking and found themselves 100/5, we'd all quite rightly be unhappy. If they blocked it out and found themselves 100/5, we'd all still rightly be unhappy.

It's a fine line, but at the end of the day, I'll accept the method that gets the result we need. If we draw this game, it still won't take away from the major deficiencies and flaws that were exposed in this tour.

 

[angrypathan]

Considering tomorrow's weather forecast, Pakistan played the situation perfectly. Conserving wickets was the way to go and we still have 8 left with our two best batsmen at the crease. Test cricket, especially since the introduction of the World Test Championship is not about pride, it's about results. A draw is the best result Pakistan can get out of this game so I don't care if Azhar is 40 off 300 balls as long as it gets the job done for Pakistan. 13 points is better than none.

 

[Infinitee786]

How dare Inzi question the creed of Pakistan cricket; “The Creed of Tuk Tuk”!

Does he not know the run rate of test cricket is now 1.8?!

It doesn’t matter whether he felt sad watching the game. They played the situation perfectly

 

[Major]

The only possible way to win this game after the first two innings was to score 450 on the follow on.

450 was never possible, than playing for a draw makes sense.

Even defending and going for a draw isn that easy here.

You try to attack here at 4 rr you will lose wixkets.

We can apply better pressure this way. And yes pressure is being applied on england as they are deserate to win am make it 2-0.

 

[Varun]

Let's just say that however good a batsman or bowler, Pakistan hardly make good pundits.

 

[Hasan123]

Disagree. I think the top 3 did a good job today. We aren't going go win the game so they have done well to be only 2 down especially as the top 3 have all had issues in this series.

Would like to see more intent but we aren't going for a win.

 

[CricketingMinds]

Inzamam-ul-Haq on his YouTube channel:

“Pakistan has played 50 overs today and only two are out but I am sad to see the way Pakistan batted today. Perhaps they thought they can save the Test that’s why they have scored at 2 an over. But I am never happy with this type of cricket.

“The way Pakistan’s batsman played, I was sad to see it. The bowlers were bowling at 130-132kph but the way Pakistan’s batsmen were playing, I have never seen something like that. Since the beginning, Pakistan’s batsmen are always a little aggressive.

“Fine, the match situation is as it is but surely you should have some pride inside you. On the short ball, you keep ducking and moving, you don’t move your feet at the full balls. I was shocked and sad to see Pakistan’s batting today. You have self-respect and pride that you’re playing for Pakistan. I don’t like saying this but I was very sad today.

“Sure, take your time but that doesn’t mean to play like this. By batting like this, you have given England an opportunity. Even if you play 100 overs, they have a chance (to win the game). You didn’t attack them even a little bit. You have to score off the bowlers to shake them, make them change their line, etc.

“Only Archer bowls a little fast in the 140s. Anderson, Broad, and Woakes aren’t so fast that you can’t handle their short balls or drive their full balls.

“Misbah and Younis are in the management, surely they can tell them how to be a little aggressive. Saving a Test match is one thing but you need to have some pride. You’re an international player. As a Pakistani sitting outside, this is how I felt.

“If they keep playing like this, only rain can save them. The way they played today if there wasn’t bad light and rain, they could be in trouble. If they lose 1-2 wickets at any point, they will be in deep trouble. The way Pakistan can be saved is the weather and their spinner. Thank God that they don’t have a good spinner who will take wickets on Day 5.

“England’s ball wasn’t swinging at all after the rain. The ground became wet and with the wet ball, it wasn’t swinging. This is why they came around the wicket and bowled short. It was shocking to see the way Pakistan played the short ball as though they are incapable of facing it.

“I think there will be 40-45 overs tomorrow due to rain but if 1-2 wickets fall, they will find it tough to survive. Yes, you need to stay at the wicket but there isn’t only one way, that you leave every ball.

“In my whole life, I have watched cricket and I haven’t seen so many balls left alone. Since the first day, I have been saying that I have seen England playing a lot and I toured there a lot. The moment you are a bit aggressive and positive, the bowling changes. Your confidence increases, the bowlers’ approach and captains’ approach changes.

“If Pakistan play like this tomorrow, they will give them a chance to attack them and we can be in trouble.

“If I am sitting padded up and the batsmen are playing like this then I will be 50% out in the dressing room. If you hit the ball properly then you give confidence to the rest of the team. Batting like this also puts presure on the other batsmen. So you need to change your style and thinking toward batting.

“The way Abid Ali and Azhar Ali were batting… On the previous day, Azhar made 140* and now he has made 20 runs in 100 balls. So is he not in good form? Abid played 160 balls and made 40 runs. That’s not the way to play cricket.

“I don’t usually talk like this but I am very sad to see the way they batted today. I know these players and they can all play much better and they should. You’re international players and you will always be under pressure. That doesn’t mean that you go into one mode and forget everything else. This is like club standard cricketers who play all balls in one way. You’re an international player with different gears. Raise your game and better your standard.

“Rain is expected tomorrow so probably only 40-50 overs will be played. But at least play them in a way that makes it look like the Pakistan team is playing.”

Watch Bess eat Inzi his own words tomorrow. I won't be surprised if we end up gifting wickets to Bess and lose the game (Remember NZ left-arm spinner Ajaz?)

 

[Extra_Cover]

An alternate view from Andrew Strauss:


"It has been a really attritional day of Test cricket. England have had to work hard for their wickets against a Pakistan side that has shown a lot of application, motivation and desire. They are not going to lay over and die. England are slowly manoeuvring their way into a position to win this game but with rain forecast tomorrow, it will be a race against time."

Off late I have a sort of respect for Strauss. I have noticed he is a man of principles which not everyone is as everyone would like to be diplomatic given any situation they can be. Strauss calls it as he sees it and I have respect for that.

Rest assured he will call out bad strokeplay or atrocious cricket if Pakistan does play that way. He might come across as cocky on commentary or analysis but I have seen enough to understand that he calls it the way he sees it and does not have any diplomatic approach. You don't have to look beyond KP incident that this guy sticks to principles.

 

[Third Man]

I wouldn't necessarily agree. Doesn't matter how fast or slow the run rate is, the objective is to bat out all available overs. They are not solely relying on rain, they are relying on batting as long as they can. How they achieve that is a different matter.

Clearly Abid, Shan and Azhar believed blocking and leaving and playing an RR of 2 gave them the best chance of doing that, which I agree is the disappointing thing. As a fan, obviously you want to see positive and exciting cricket.

Other batsmen, like Inzi, would say that counter attacking and putting pressure back on the bowlers would give them a better chance of surviving the overs.

Either way, they will be criticised if they lose, whether they attacked or not. If they tried counter attacking and found themselves 100/5, we'd all quite rightly be unhappy. If they blocked it out and found themselves 100/5, we'd all still rightly be unhappy.

It's a fine line, but at the end of the day, I'll accept the method that gets the result we need. If we draw this game, it still won't take away from the major deficiencies and flaws that were exposed in this tour.

That's not an opinion from [MENTION=133760]Abdullah719[/MENTION], it's a fact. They will lose if they bat 120 over at a rate of 2 runs an over and it doesn't rain.

 

[Saj]

Given the standard of batsmen we have, this was probably about par and what could be expected.

 

[gibsyhesperis]

Oh dear.
Inzi was a very good batsmen.
A limited captain.
And know he shows he doesn’t have a clue strategically.
A bit disconcerting that he was in a position of power in Pakistani cricket until recently.

Tomorrow it is going to rain, rain a lot.
The aim was to get through the day. Mission accomplished.

 

[aloo paratha]

Batting slow is Shaan, Azhar and Fawad's natural game, so I expect them to bat slow. Babar, Asad and Rizwan will bat faster as that's their natural game.

Anyways, England have been in the field for 149 consecutive overs. They will be tired and give more scoring opportunities as the game goes on. At the start of the day it was important to see off the new ball and not repeat 30/4.

 

[Firebat]

That's not an opinion from [MENTION=133760]Abdullah719[/MENTION], it's a fact. They will lose if they bat 120 over at a rate of 2 runs an over and it doesn't rain.

No, they will lose the match if they lost 10 wickets in those 120 overs. That would happen whether they score at a run rate of 2 or 3.5. Try making Azhar Ali score at 3.5 and see how long he lasts.

The fact is, the batsmen we have are not going to survive 120 overs trying to play 3 or 3.5 rpo (they probably wouldn't survive that long at any scoring rate). They played within the boundaries of their ability to achieve the desired result, which at the end of the day is the same regardless of scoring rate: save the match.

At the start of the innings, we would have all taken 100/2.

 

[gibsyhesperis]

Inzi was a bit OTT with some of his comments but the crux of his argument is understandable.

If Pakistan continues to score at this rate of ~2 an over for 120 overs and they are bowled out, they will still lose. Hence, they are pretty much solely relying on rain to avoid defeat at this point.

No runs are being made and no pressure is being put back on the bowlers. Hence, they are free to attack. As soon as Pakistan lose a wicket (if there is play tomorrow), you have Asad coming in who is averaging 10 this series, then Fawad who hasn’t done anything. So Pakistan are clearly not out of the woods yet by any means.

Well, let’s assume that they has scored at 4 an over. They would still be 100 behind. They would have probably lost an additional twoor three wickets as a consequence. Given the length of the tail, that would have meant certain defeat.
Given the circumstances and the heavy rain predicted for tomorrow they played it just right.
Inzi was and remains clueless

 

[Shazzam]

The way they batted today shows why Test cricket will never be popular in Pakistan. This negative batting was hard to watch.

 

[gibsyhesperis]

The way they batted today shows why Test cricket will never be popular in Pakistan. This negative batting was hard to watch.

Which explains why Pakistan will remain a second tier cricket nation. The strongest white ball cricket countries (India, Aus, England) are also strong Test sides.

 

[coy0607]

Inzamam has a point in general about this is not how cricket should be played. But in this specific situation, its hard to criticize the batsmen given the thrashing they've gotten on this tour, and the match situation.

 

[Junaids]

An alternate view from Andrew Strauss:


"It has been a really attritional day of Test cricket. England have had to work hard for their wickets against a Pakistan side that has shown a lot of application, motivation and desire. They are not going to lay over and die. England are slowly manoeuvring their way into a position to win this game but with rain forecast tomorrow, it will be a race against time."

The problem is that Pakistan's attritional innings will only save the game if a lot of Day 5 is lost to rain.

There are 2 wickets down and the deficit is still 222 runs, and the second new ball only 24 overs away.

Batting this slowly is inherently risky, because Pakistan will never wipe out the deficit.

They didn't need to try any risky shots, I fully agree.

But if they had just averaged 3 runs per over the score would be 170-2 now, with a deficit down to 130.

Allowing for a change of innings there are now 96 overs left in the game.

So if Pakistan scored 3 runs per over, the scores would be level after another 30 overs and England would have to remove the slips and try to dry up the scoring with defensive fields.

In fact, Pakistan could have batted until half an hour after Tea on Day 5 and scored 430 in 130 overs, leaving England to score 130 in 20 overs in Test conditions - just like at Edgbaston in 1987.

This sort of go-slow crawl will work if 50-60 overs are lost to rain tomorrow. But if not, Pakistan are just keeping themselves under pressure.

 

[SpiritOf1903]

Strauss is a sound bite. "These people" referring to bame cricketers..

 

[classic]

It's easier said than done. Pakistan has done well to be where they have on day 4. Had they counter attacked they would probably have been 5 or 6 down. So although I am not happy I will take it.
Need to get the draw and bank those 13 points. It will be a morrall victory for Pakistan since they (England) won the 1st test by winning just 1 session. Other wise we would be looking at a drawn series.

 

[Sidilicious]

Given the standard of batsmen we have, this was probably about par and what could be expected.

What Pakistan did was more than just fine, for any team.

Pakistan were more than 300 behind. Playing away in fairly difficult conditions. You cannot expect any team to score at 300 in this situation. What Pakistan did was brilliant. Then know, they have to bat about 130 odd overs to draw a match. There is 0 chance of winning.

They can draw the game. Now, they can get themselves out of trouble if they bat a bit faster, and overcome the deficit early, giving themselves some breathing space. But this is not a lineup of Laxmans and Gilchrists. They don’t have batting till 10, that can make up for a slight hiccup. The way they played was the best for their situation.

 

[Indiafan]

How dare Inzi question the creed of Pakistan cricket; “The Creed of Tuk Tuk”!

Does he not know the run rate of test cricket is now 1.8?!

It doesn’t matter whether he felt sad watching the game. They played the situation perfectly

What would change if run rate was 4 instead of 1.8?

 

[Indiafan]

The problem is that Pakistan's attritional innings will only save the game if a lot of Day 5 is lost to rain.

There are 2 wickets down and the deficit is still 222 runs, and the second new ball only 24 overs away.

Batting this slowly is inherently risky, because Pakistan will never wipe out the deficit.

They didn't need to try any risky shots, I fully agree.

But if they had just averaged 3 runs per over the score would be 170-2 now, with a deficit down to 130.

Allowing for a change of innings there are now 96 overs left in the game.

So if Pakistan scored 3 runs per over, the scores would be level after another 30 overs and England would have to remove the slips and try to dry up the scoring with defensive fields.

In fact, Pakistan could have batted until half an hour after Tea on Day 5 and scored 430 in 130 overs, leaving England to score 130 in 20 overs in Test conditions - just like at Edgbaston in 1987.

This sort of go-slow crawl will work if 50-60 overs are lost to rain tomorrow. But if not, Pakistan are just keeping themselves under pressure.

But everyone KNEW and knows overs would be lost to rain. Your hypothetical situation does not apply here

 

[naseem]

The problem is that Pakistan's attritional innings will only save the game if a lot of Day 5 is lost to rain.

There are 2 wickets down and the deficit is still 222 runs, and the second new ball only 24 overs away.

Batting this slowly is inherently risky, because Pakistan will never wipe out the deficit.

They didn't need to try any risky shots, I fully agree.

But if they had just averaged 3 runs per over the score would be 170-2 now, with a deficit down to 130.

Allowing for a change of innings there are now 96 overs left in the game.

So if Pakistan scored 3 runs per over, the scores would be level after another 30 overs and England would have to remove the slips and try to dry up the scoring with defensive fields.

In fact, Pakistan could have batted until half an hour after Tea on Day 5 and scored 430 in 130 overs, leaving England to score 130 in 20 overs in Test conditions - just like at Edgbaston in 1987.

This sort of go-slow crawl will work if 50-60 overs are lost to rain tomorrow. But if not, Pakistan are just keeping themselves under pressure.

Exactly....my point.....the more u go into the shell u won't b even able 2 put away the bad balls.....and by the time new ball will come if u r lucky then it's ok....but it's difficult 2 survive Anderson with new ball........then u will b exposing new batsman 2 new ball with few runs scored and deficit will b substantially high......pak could have easily got 190 yesterday had shan and Abid play little positively........I m ok with Azhar innings....there is chance of good 3 and half to 4 hrs of play....that's enough time 4 Eng.....

 

[shokz1408]

A little harsh, however, the following quote is so true. If you’re waiting to come into bat and watching batting only to survive your mentality is already negative.


“If I am sitting padded up and the batsmen are playing like this then I will be 50% out in the dressing room. If you hit the ball properly then you give confidence to the rest of the team. Batting like this also puts presure on the other batsmen. So you need to change your style and thinking toward batting.“

 

[Robert]

Strange comments by Inzi. Pakistan could have folded twice, but they have shown some ticker and drawn the game.

 

[naseem]

What would change if run rate was 4 instead of 1.8?

The score could have been 200 for taking even 2 additional wickets 220 for 4....with deficit of 90.... With either babar azhar batting with Shafiq ....if they could further manage 35 overs....with 3.....it is 105......say 1 wicket lost.... Then it becomes 335 for 5....still Rizwan or Babar there....to hold one end....and yasir to blast away.......then quick 60 runs....could fetch 80 90 runs lead......say overs lost due to rain and poor outfield.....and change of innings.......a target of 90 from 13 15 is...very tricky........ Test cricket is about being positive.......Saffas could not avert loss to India by making 150 from 150 overs

 

[JibranAnsari]

well, the pitch and the bowling didnt warrant thia kind of run rate but the situation did.

pakistan is going to lose the test anyway.

 

[gazza619]

Inzi is 100% right. We should have attacked a bit more. England bowlers looked tired.

Scoring more runs would have also given us the chance to draw the game.

 

[Abdullah]

It was a cowardly performance indeed but what do you expect from these mediocre nobodies?

Shan and Abid are both rubbish and Azhar is on his last legs.

Without rain Pakistan had a 0% chance of escaping with a draw. We simply don’t have the talent or the temperament or the technique to last two days let alone under such pressure.

Regardless of whether there is enough time for England to force a result tomorrow, we have been royally humiliated and exposed in this series.

Oh please... we are so rubbish that once we were 4 down inside 15 overs , people like you expected the game to be over within the next 120 overs - and it noway near is over as there are still 8 wickets to take.

Inzi is wrong here and well done to the Pak bats (bar Asad)

 

[Abdullah]

The score could have been 200 for taking even 2 additional wickets 220 for 4....with deficit of 90.... With either babar azhar batting with Shafiq ....if they could further manage 35 overs....with 3.....it is 105......say 1 wicket lost.... Then it becomes 335 for 5....still Rizwan or Babar there....to hold one end....and yasir to blast away.......then quick 60 runs....could fetch 80 90 runs lead......say overs lost due to rain and poor outfield.....and change of innings.......a target of 90 from 13 15 is...very tricky........ Test cricket is about being positive.......Saffas could not avert loss to India by making 150 from 150 overs

You need to wake up.
It's test cricket, not fantasy cricket. Once we knew that 180 overs would not be bowled over the last 2 days, it just became about batting time

 

[Abdullah]

I am hoping for 60 overs today of play ( first session will be washed out)
And if we are batting at the end, this has been a good tour for Pakistan.
Should have won the first game, in the ascendancy in the second, and fightback for a draw in the third.
Onwards and upwards. It's a bit like man uniteds season, we did ok and we know what we need to get to the next level, but will it be delivered by those in power

 

[Sidilicious]

The score could have been 200 for taking even 2 additional wickets 220 for 4....with deficit of 90.... With either babar azhar batting with Shafiq ....if they could further manage 35 overs....with 3.....it is 105......say 1 wicket lost.... Then it becomes 335 for 5....still Rizwan or Babar there....to hold one end....and yasir to blast away.......then quick 60 runs....could fetch 80 90 runs lead......say overs lost due to rain and poor outfield.....and change of innings.......a target of 90 from 13 15 is...very tricky........ Test cricket is about being positive.......Saffas could not avert loss to India by making 150 from 150 overs

Not necessarily. It could have been 220 for 5 or 6 or 7. i.e. An innings loss.

 

[Attiq_Lone]

I don't know if people remember it or not, India tour of England, 2nd Test. India bats first innings, All out in 35 overs for 107 (RR 3). England puts a massive 396/8 in the first in innings and leads by 289. 2nd innings India all out for 130 in 47 overs (RR 2.76), nothing was lost, but loose shots and great bowling from England bowled India out of the game and they lost by an innings.

Pakistan had a deficit of around 300 in the second innings, if they batted like India did, they would have certainly collapsed and by now we would have lost the match by an innings.

I don't understand the level of comments people are putting here criticising our batsmen. What else do you expect from them in this situation against this bowling attack? Why people don't understand that we lost this match because of bad bowling? It was a flat pitch but still 580+ is still excessive. Our bowlers are very young and will learn from time.

In my opinion the batsmen in this series have been excellent, especially in this last test, that was the highest level of test batting (considering the situation)

People need to calm down and control their bias.

 

[oatmeal]

I think its a sensible strategy given the rain forecast. If there was no rain, trying to play out two days would be foolish. But we might only get a handful of overs today, it makes sense to save wickets.

Though the batsmen could have scored a bit more faster ( 2.5 RPO) without taking any risks. 1.78 is way too low even for this situation

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

Strange comments. Surely he knows there is no way Pakistan can win this match

 

[Infinitee786]

What would change if run rate was 4 instead of 1.8?

The world will be a better place.
All wars will end. Evil will cease to exist. Poverty will be history.

 

[Minnowbasher]

Oh I thought inzi would be talking about the 3rd innings of the 1st test or something.
Surprised he is unhappy with this innings.
We cant win so are fighting it out for a draw. What's wrong with that?
The one time Pakistan are actually batting well there is criticism.

 

[ask_analyse_act]

An alternate view from Andrew Strauss:


"It has been a really attritional day of Test cricket. England have had to work hard for their wickets against a Pakistan side that has shown a lot of application, motivation and desire. They are not going to lay over and die.

England are slowly manoeuvring their way into a position to win this game but with rain forecast tomorrow, it will be a race against time.

"

Look at the second sentence

Slowly manoeuvring into a winning position. Pakistan’s batting has given the license to England to go for the kill and try all their plans to get 10 wickets to win this match. They are still 210 runs behind, even if they are 100/0 England still have a chance to win. If Pakistan batted normally say 3.3 to 3.5 runs an over the overnight score would be somewhere close to 190 or 200 for 2 or 3 then the deficit is reduced to 100. Would have been forcing England to make moves to stop Pak from scoring instead of taking wickets.

 

[Bewal Express]

Batted the only way they could to save the test. The quality of our batsmen is poor, and any other approach would have led to defeat probably by late evening yesterday

 

[shaz619]

I see where Big Inzi is coming from, in such situations he would attack naturally / instinctively; this also stemmed from his ability with the bat and the nature to counter attack with his back against the wall as we've seen from him during his career, but even so; in these circumstances it would be risky and that too when you have a fragile batting line up, Pakistan have done the right thing to put their ego to one side and show some grit with the Bat by spending as much time possible at the crease, every match is important in the world test championship and a crucial 13 points are at stake for Pakistan.

Unfortunately for England, it is annoying we've not had enough time to have a real go at Pakistan but we've had enough of an opportunity post enforcement of the follow on to cause panic and take another 40 points but you have to give a lot of credit to Azhar Ali and the fight he has shown after all the struggles / criticisms.

 

[shaz619]

It was a cowardly performance indeed but what do you expect from these mediocre nobodies?

Shan and Abid are both rubbish and Azhar is on his last legs.

Without rain Pakistan had a 0% chance of escaping with a draw. We simply don’t have the talent or the temperament or the technique to last two days let alone under such pressure.

Regardless of whether there is enough time for England to force a result tomorrow, we have been royally humiliated and exposed in this series.

A bit harsh mate, this performance from Pak has cost us an extra 27 points; because if you think about it, a lot can happen in a session or so but after the Ali knock Pak would then dig in for another 56 overs while we were only able to take 2 wickets, past sides have typically fallen in such a situation. But am hoping if we can get at least a sessions play today, we can cause some serious panic; otherwise it will be be awesome to see Jimmy get to 600, genuinely don't care what anyone says he is the greatest fast bowler of all time, despite what ones view is on him, I think when he is on the brink proper fans should be taking their hats of, we may not see this moment in the sport again, it truly is one for the ages; I don't think this has sunk in for certain cricket fans

 

[Junaids]

Looks like the weather will justify Azhar’s approach.

 

[shaz619]

Looks like the weather will justify Azhar’s approach.

It is Southampton Junaids! Azhar more aware of the English weathers then yourself it seems too much time in Australia! Junaids losing touch with his roots lols

 

[shariqnoor]

I agree with Inzi's sentiment wholeheartedly but Inzi is discounting the fact that these are Pakistani batsmen playing. They can't play at 4 an over without getting out. This is not an Indian or Australian batting lineup who can score quickly while at the same time preserve wickets. So defending is the only option for these batsmen.

But yes, the mentality that Pakistan needs to develop is to bat at a faster pace. Distinctly remember when Pakistan made 450 against Australia in the first innings Melbourne in 2016 and that innings went till mid of 3rd day. Australia didn't give up on that Test match and knew that the only way they could've won that Test match from that situation was if they played at 4.5 RPO and that is exactly what they did. A Pakistan team would never even entertain the thought that they could win a match 450 runs down and 2.5 days gone.

 

[Snowflake]

I think Inzi's criticism is fair when it comes to how Pakistan generally plays test cricket. Test cricket has definitely evolved with most teams scoring at a brisk pace while we still tend to bat time more often than not.

However, I'm not quite sure that that would've been the right approach in this game. Pakistani batsmen backed their defense and the weather forecast for the last day and it worked in their favor. I am also not sure if attacking the bowlers would've pushed England back given that they had so many runs to play with.

 

[JaDed]

Pakistani posters are talking as if they are Aussies that play such brand of cricket, it's test cricket draw matters, the point would had made sense if it was LOI.

 

[JaDed]

I see where Big Inzi is coming from, in such situations he would attack naturally / instinctively; this also stemmed from his ability with the bat and the nature to counter attack with his back against the wall as we've seen from him during his career, but even so; in these circumstances it would be risky and that too when you have a fragile batting line up, Pakistan have done the right thing to put their ego to one side and show some grit with the Bat by spending as much time possible at the crease, every match is important in the world test championship and a crucial 13 points are at stake for Pakistan.

Unfortunately for England, it is annoying we've not had enough time to have a real go at Pakistan but we've had enough of an opportunity post enforcement of the follow on to cause panic and take another 40 points but you have to give a lot of credit to Azhar Ali and the fight he has shown after all the struggles / criticisms.

Bro did you jump ship since 2019 WC?

 

[IMMY69]

Maybe he thinks his nephew could have done better!

A great player Inzi, pathetic pundit though.

 

[MenInG]

Inzi had a point but he forgot that this team is not equipped to handle pressure!

 

[naseem]

You need to wake up.
It's test cricket, not fantasy cricket. Once we knew that 180 overs would not be bowled over the last 2 days, it just became about batting time

Test cricket is not about blocking and blocking mate.....it's only a matter of time when one of those balls has ur name on it.......u need to see off new balls and then play the ball on its merit......if u continue 2 leave and block.....either u will allow opposition 2 put pressure on u or u r putting pressure 2 the batsmen in the dressing room....it's not ODI ....it's test ...it's only a matter of time new ball will be again available.......and u will again need 2 block block block playing with positive intent doesn't mean u go tongues and hammer with 6 rpo or 5 rpo....it could be 3 3.33 rpo ....but no way 1.8........ And modern cricket is not fantasy cricket.......

We all know no way Pak need 2 bat 180 overs ......at least yesterday Pak could have been 170 or 180 and add further 88 runs....of today it's 268....if more overs were played ......Pak could easy overcome the deficit and it is no less than moral victory.......

 

[naseem]

Inzi had a point but he forgot that this team is not equipped to handle pressure!

Not this team.....few players of this team....eg Shafiq

 

[naseem]

Maybe he thinks his nephew could have done better!

A great player Inzi, pathetic pundit though.

He was right......hope Mishabh's defensive mindset don't grasp Babar Shan and others

 

[Zaz]

The end justifies the means

Pakistan drew the test so the tactics worked

But yes ideally you not only need to bat time when your facing a mamoth total but also you need to bat and score runs too

Without scoring runs even batting days on end can end you up losing you tests as you hsvent caught up to the opposition score and havent made the opposition bat again

Rain and some dogged batting saved pakistan in this test but without the rain this tactic wouldnt have worked as pakistan were still way behind in terms of runs