Hope Pakistan and Sarfaraz Ahmed are watching how Sri Lanka are being handled by Virat Kohli & Co

[MenInG]

Hope Pakistan and Sarfaraz Ahmed are watching how Sri Lanka are being handled by Virat Kohli & Co

Yes Sarfaraz is new to the job but he should have had plenty of advice during our Test series vs Sri Lanka.

Hope he is now watching the India v Sri Lanka game to understand how to take advantage of home conditions and what team selections etc are needed to win against a team which whitewashed us at home!

 

[Navdeep Srivastava]

I think captain can't do much if experienced person like Asad bats in such a bad manner. Captain usually looks after bowling resources, and Pak was getting Lanka out and in 1st test they have to chase less than 150.

 

[Bleedgreen4ever]

Not his fault....you need time to revamp the team after such crucial changes have taken place.

Hope you remember that India after Dhoni's retirement also could not chase around 170 vs Sri Lanka

Changes need time but someone needs to tell the board that we need more tests

 

[Mamoon]

The gulf in caliber is huge. Indian batsmen are miles better than ours, and their bowling attack has an edge in these conditions because they have the best spin duo in the world.

Sarfraz and co. cannot learn anything when what they lack are skills and ability.

 

[Abdullah719]

The gulf in caliber is huge. Indian batsmen are miles better than ours, and their bowling attack has an edge in these conditions because they have the best spin duo in the world.

Sarfraz and co. cannot learn anything when what they lack are skills and ability.

Really? Playing three seamers on dead UAE pitches and playing the likes of Shan Masood is something that can not be fixed?

Gulf in calibre, sure, but there are lessons to be learnt.

 

[Mamoon]

Really? Playing three seamers on dead UAE pitches and playing the likes of Shan Masood is something that can not be fixed?

Gulf in calibre, sure, but there are lessons to be learnt.

My post was general. It wasn't in the context of the SL series only.

Not playing two spinners was a tactical blunder, but the Test side is heading towards dark days with or without Masood.

 

[Nikhil_cric]

Really? Playing three seamers on dead UAE pitches and playing the likes of Shan Masood is something that can not be fixed?

Gulf in calibre, sure, but there are lessons to be learnt.

Yep. Removing Azhar as opener to accommodate Shan masood of all people is one of the dumbest decisions i've ever seen. Not to mention playing only 1 spinner when one of the fast bowlers was clearly not fit.

 

[CricFan2012]

Yep. Removing Azhar as opener to accommodate Shan masood of all people is one of the dumbest decisions i've ever seen. Not to mention playing only 1 spinner when one of the fast bowlers was clearly not fit.

Pretty much this.

People are overrating the Sri Lankan wins which could easily have been avoided if not for the idiotic decisions by the management.

 

[Syed1]

Funny there is no mention of Mickey Arthur


He is always credited for our LOI revival, but the captain is to blame for Test decline?

 

[jnaveen1980]

Pakistan as a team has lost their test stars as well. They are in rebuilding phase too. India did the transitioin seamlessly once Sachin, Dravid, Laxman, Dhoni, Sehwag, Gambhir left. India found Pujara, Rahane, Kohli, Dhawan, Vijay now KL Rahul. Pakistan lost their nucleus. It will take time to get anywhere close to the transition India achieved.

 

[hadi123]

Still can't believe we only went with 1 spinner, awful tactics.

 

[Benchwarmer]

Seamlessly making transition from one generation to another is where good domestic structure comes into play.

 

[MenInG]

The gulf in caliber is huge. Indian batsmen are miles better than ours, and their bowling attack has an edge in these conditions because they have the best spin duo in the world.

Sarfraz and co. cannot learn anything when what they lack are skills and ability.

As simple as that? Does Sarfaraz need some time to grow into this role? Does he have the support he needs to teach him like Kohli had?

 

[MMHS]

Keeping status co intact for both IND/PAK sides, I would have given 3rd degree to the guy responsible for playing 1 spinner at Abu Dhabi and probably firing squad to do the same after the experience of 1st Test. Honestly, these are calls that raises the ugly suspensions around PAK team - even Poms played 2 spinners in UAE, then why on earth one should go with 3+1 combination and only 1 spinner? Even 1+3 would have won the series 2-0!!!!!! And then, they played Amir & Abbas on such wicket!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

With same squad, Indian think tank would have gone with 4.5 bowlers, Bilal making it 2.5 spinners. Actually, Indians won't have gone with Bilal at all - they would have picked the best specialist offie in country - whoever available, be in debuting Nasir Awais or Tahir Khan(or even recalling Ajmal), and probably would have played a left-arm spin all-rounder for that 0.5 bowler, OR even debuted Aga Salman as batting all-rounder, considering that Haris can bowl SLAO for 15-20 overs, against 5/6 lefti in SRL line up AND having the prime spinner a leggi - someone who doesn't turn much & takes the ball into the lefti as his stock ball.

I have to say, Arthur disappointed me BIG time here - he has to drop his English hat, if he is to get any further job from any Asian side in future.

 

[Plumb]

Here we go again.... Some posters are waiting to bash pak cricket, same posters go hiding when pak give beating to top teams and termed as "fluke". Of course Sarfi 'll learn and If I am not wrong he did mention in one of those interviews that they made mistake playing only 1 spinner.

He 'll not go out and openly say we made blunder. Ind batsmen are more solid in their home conditions as compared to pak batsmen in UAE but the reactions are over the top that "we 'll not learn".

 

[Mamoon]

As simple as that? Does Sarfaraz need some time to grow into this role? Does he have the support he needs to teach him like Kohli had?

I am not sure if Sarfraz has time on his side. He is no spring chicken and his workload needs to be managed. A couple of series defeats and some quarters will be calling for his head.

Another problem for him is that unlike Kohli, he is not setting any standards with his individual performance.

 

[hur rizvi]

Agreed with Mamoon, with Younus and Misbah gone the gulf is huge btw the two teams specially in Asian conditions

 

[hur rizvi]

And tbh I am not satisfied with Yasir shah, he has been going down the hill for quite some time now and at present I dont see him as a match winner atleast against sub-continental teams. We need to discover a new genuine spinner to support yasir if we are to do well in UAE and Asia

 

[hur rizvi]

So batting and against spin and spin bowling at present have big holes at the moment for Pakistan test side

 

[ManFan]

Pakistan is a new test team with a new captain. Kholi has had the luxury of two world class spinners in conditions suited to them and a much better batting line up. What Mickey and Sarfraz need to do is get rid of players who don't deserve to be there. Removing Azhar from opener when he scored a 200+ in AUS and 300 against WI to #3 just because he is your best batsman was a brainless move. Why fix it if it's not broken? Abbas will not cut it on flat tracks and our best hope is to fast track Shaheen and hope he develops with Azhar. The team is better than what it looks like but due to a few simple management errors which even a schoolboy could have foreseen, especially in the 2nd test, we lost our first series in the UAE. Sarfraz either needs to stop howling at the younger players and do so with the seniors also or score big with the bat. He comes off as a coward quite frankly for picking and choosing who to shout at.

 

[Mamoon]

And tbh I am not satisfied with Yasir shah, he has been going down the hill for quite some time now and at present I dont see him as a match winner atleast against sub-continental teams. We need to discover a new genuine spinner to support yasir if we are to do well in UAE and Asia

He is overrated by PPers because he is the only wicket-taking bowler in the Test lineup. Amir is mediocre unless the conditions are favorable, Hasan hasn't learned Test bowling yet, and Abbas is never going to be a spearhead.

Yasir is not the world class spinner people make him to be - he has his limitations, and he was badly exposed in Australia. Even in England, he got lucky at Lord's and Oval because the pitches aided him and England handled him recklessly. He was obliterated at Old Trafford and Edgbaston when he had to swim against the tide.

Any decent spinner will look magical in our current lineup because he doesn't have to share his wickets with anyone. Pair him with a good spinner and he will not stand-out so much.

 

[Mamoon]

Also, Azhar is untouchable these days but he is not the player PPers make him out to be. He is a solid batsman with excellent temperament, but that is where it ends. A far cry from the elite batsmen in the game today.

He will always have zero impact and his runs won't prove to be decisive. Probably the only batsman in the world who can score a 250 and not put his team in a match-winning position, and he is not a batsman that the opposition are going to fear - you can negate him by drying his already deplorably limited scoring zones and simply target the other, weaker batsman.

The difference between Azhar and Shehzad/Sami/Masood/Shafiq is that because of his better technique and temperament, he is able to last a 100 deliveries more on average. In terms of influence on the match, he is irrelevant like they are.

An inferior version of Pujara - nothing more, nothing less.

 

[ManFan]

He is overrated by PPers because he is the only wicket-taking bowler in the Test lineup. Amir is mediocre unless the conditions are favorable, Hasan hasn't learned Test bowling yet, and Abbas is never going to be a spearhead.

Yasir is not the world class spinner people make him to be - he has his limitations, and he was badly exposed in Australia. Even in England, he got lucky at Lord's and Oval because the pitches aided him and England handled him recklessly. He was obliterated at Old Trafford and Edgbaston when he had to swim against the tide.


Any decent spinner will look magical in our current lineup because he doesn't have to share his wickets with anyone. Pair him with a good spinner and he will not stand-out so much.

Agree with most of your points but think you are selling Yasir short. He has had Three series outside Asia in his career and performed very well in 2 out of 3. He did receive a spanking in England but he also helped us win 2 matches for the first time in a tour since the 90's in ENG. He took 25 wickets in the WI and won us the series when all hope seemed lost. Australia has been a graveyard for all bowlers for the past 10 years not named Warne or McGrath. Their best spin option is Lyon who averages 25+ and is regarded as their greatest off-spinner and spinner in general since SK Warne. Yasir is a champion bower in Asia and his only failure has been AUS. He needs to develop a potent googly and not listen to a 40+ captain telling him to bowl a leg-stump line.

 

[Saj]

The current Pakistan Test team lacks a killer instinct and match-winners - basic ingredients to win Test matches.

It's a concern and something that needs addressing quickly.

 

[babajee]

The current Pakistan Test team lacks a killer instinct and match-winners - basic ingredients to win Test matches.

It's a concern and something that needs addressing quickly.

Can’t be addressed if we aren’t even playing test matches regularly

 

[Savak]

Pakistan's Test Series defeat to Sri Lanka is even more embarrassing now

The manner in which India has demolished Sri Lanka in their backyard and at home makes our test series defeat even more painful and embarrassing.

India's ability to play spin is far superior to the vast majority of our batsmen. Heck even India's fast bowling resources look much better than the likes of Abbas and Amir who looked like a grand father on borrowed time. I won't blame Yasir too much as he was the only spinner and won't blame Sarfaraz either as it was his first series in charge but really the likes of Azhar Ali, Asad Shafiq (in particular) really need to be held to account for not lifting their games to the next level now that Younis Khan is no longer there.

 

[todfod 11]

Play players like Shan masood what u expect??
There was no planning going into that series and things were taken lightly. Injured Amir was played No second spinner. these are just plain blunder.
And Only Sarfaraz to be blamed for the first test loss to be honest. He should have come up the order and played a small cameo with a quick 30 40 it would have set the tone for the chase.

 

[Kroll]

I wouldn't say so, India are not an unpredictable and maverick side like Pakistan, they were always expected to thrash a hapless Lanka.

 

[Nil Dhumrojal]

It was embarrassing when Pak lost it to SL, not that SL are now being humiliated by Ind.

 

[Cuts_and_cuts_hard]

It was embarrassing when Pak lost it to SL, not that SL are now being humiliated by Ind.

Agreed.

Anyway calling it "embarrassing" is a bit disrespectful to how well SL played in that series. Regardless of our shortcomings we were outplayed.