Abdullah719
T20I Captain
- Joined
- Apr 16, 2013
- Runs
- 44,825
Mickey Arthur on Straight Drive on Ten Sports after the first Test:
"Pakistan today played with determination. Babar was outstanding and so was Rizwan, they frustrated Australia and made them fight to win. It's an innings victory but Pakistan can hold their heads up high, they didn't roll over and fought hard"
"The attack wasn't suitable to protect a 16-year-old in his first game because the other seamers were a 19-year-old and a guy who has played 9 Tests. It's not ideal. I understand the rationale about protecting a guy but once you pick a bowler in a Test match, he's got to be prepared to bowl 20 overs in a day. You can't protect a cricketer in a Test match. You sign the papers that you as a bowler are fit enough to bowl 20 overs a day. Are you fit enough? Can your body hold up? Can you come back and be as effective as earlier? That baffles me - but again, surely you had to pick Mohammad Abbas"
"We might see this innings as a turning point for Babar. I'll go back to his first Test tour, he batted #3 in NZ on wickets with a lot of grass. The ball was seaming everywhere and he got 90* at Hamilton. I so often go back to that innings and think that if he got a 100 there at Hamilton, would his development have been quicker? That would've been the monkey off his back in his 2nd or 3rd Test. All the talk about him not getting 100s, he needs to step up etc. would have been obliterated. He also came at batted at #3 in Australia because you had Younis and Misbah at 4/5 and Shafiq at 6. The only place in the batting order for him was #3 but I backed him to be good enough to be able to do that"
"I don't think Babar will bat at #3, I think he'll bat at 4 for Pakistan and that'll be his best position going forward. It's not too much of an issue right now whether he is at 4 or Shafiq, but in the long run Babar Azam will be the #4"
"Babar Azam dominated, he's almost dominated the best bowling attack in world cricket in their home conditions, He never looked like he was struggling, he put the bowlers under pressure and punished the loose balls. It was the complete Test match innings. I'm hoping it kick-starts him. He got a 100 at Adelaide in an ODI in 2017 so he loves batting there. Hopefully Pakistan win the toss there and then Babar Azam and whoever else in the batting can dominate and give Pakistan that 1st innings score to put Australia under pressure"
"I'm not too worried about the Pakistan batting, they didn't get enough in the 1st innings but I think they'll bat well in these conditions. We sort of saw that, Shan Masood played well today, Shafiq, Babar and Rizwan showed their class. You have 4 in the top 7 who will go to Adelaide with confidence"
"The basis of defending and leaving well is important for anybody's game. Your attack is an extension of your defence, if your defending well and your feeting are moving well with good balance, your game is in order and you can attack form that base. Babar's defence was exemplary"
"Babar is a proud man, he would've been disappointed by how he got out in the 1st innings. I love the celebration, it reminded me of the NZ 100 in the WC where he won us the game, it was a celebration of a lot of emotion, it was fantastic to see"
"That was a standout performance from Rizwan, he's been exceptional in this whole Test match. He shouldn't have been out in the first innings. He kept well, his energy was good and he deserved a hundred"
"You can never count Sarfaraz out, he'll be working hard to get his place back. He'll have to do well in domestic cricket. Healthy competition is always good. It was Sarfaraz with Rizwan as #2 pushing him, those roles are reversed a bit now. I wouldn't count Sarfaraz out, he'll keep pushing. They can both play in the same side, I think Rizwan is good enough to play as an out and out batsman"
"Using a 5-man bowling attack gives you the balance, it's an attacking option and that's one way of nursing Naseem Shah through his workload problems"
"Iftikhar got a really good ball today, he hasn't done too much wrong. He hasn't gotten himself in, that could happen to anybody. Not sure that his place is secure. Two batsmen under pressure are Haris and Iftikhar. I think you need to get Imam in the team, he's a very good player who has developed his game considerably. He's a confidence player, I'd get him back. I'd play Haris at 6, he was found out a bit by the short ball but I've seen what he can do at this level. Adelaide won't bounce like the Gabba, it'll be more subcontinental. He can give you a lot of overs"
"Naseem Shah did exceed expectations, I thought it was a high risk move. I thought he looked superb. Aggression - he ticks the box, he wasn't overawed by the occassion, he kept running in and got involved in stares, he had a presence and body language, with exuberance. Pace - pace is a gift and he has that in abundance. What they need to get right with him is control, I thought his control here wasn't bad at all, he didn't give many freebies away. If you get the pace, let them bowl as quick as they can then work on getting the control to where you want it. He ticked every box, I think Pakistan have unearthed a gem"
"I'd have to have a look at the wicket before considering 4 seamers. Adelaide genuinely turns, it has turned for a period of time because it's hot. You have 2 sessions in the heat and around half a session under lights where the ball swings and seams. You still need a spinner somewhere to bowl your overs. If the wicket showed any sign of deterioration, I would pick Yasir Shah"
"When the decision was being made about the D/N Test, some of the players were apprehensive about it. I thought it was a good opportunity for Pakistan to put Australia under pressure. It brings Pakistan's seamers a bit more into the game, there's more margin for error in the Pink ball Test. I think Pakistan could surprise them in the next Test match"
"Pakistan today played with determination. Babar was outstanding and so was Rizwan, they frustrated Australia and made them fight to win. It's an innings victory but Pakistan can hold their heads up high, they didn't roll over and fought hard"
"The attack wasn't suitable to protect a 16-year-old in his first game because the other seamers were a 19-year-old and a guy who has played 9 Tests. It's not ideal. I understand the rationale about protecting a guy but once you pick a bowler in a Test match, he's got to be prepared to bowl 20 overs in a day. You can't protect a cricketer in a Test match. You sign the papers that you as a bowler are fit enough to bowl 20 overs a day. Are you fit enough? Can your body hold up? Can you come back and be as effective as earlier? That baffles me - but again, surely you had to pick Mohammad Abbas"
"We might see this innings as a turning point for Babar. I'll go back to his first Test tour, he batted #3 in NZ on wickets with a lot of grass. The ball was seaming everywhere and he got 90* at Hamilton. I so often go back to that innings and think that if he got a 100 there at Hamilton, would his development have been quicker? That would've been the monkey off his back in his 2nd or 3rd Test. All the talk about him not getting 100s, he needs to step up etc. would have been obliterated. He also came at batted at #3 in Australia because you had Younis and Misbah at 4/5 and Shafiq at 6. The only place in the batting order for him was #3 but I backed him to be good enough to be able to do that"
"I don't think Babar will bat at #3, I think he'll bat at 4 for Pakistan and that'll be his best position going forward. It's not too much of an issue right now whether he is at 4 or Shafiq, but in the long run Babar Azam will be the #4"
"Babar Azam dominated, he's almost dominated the best bowling attack in world cricket in their home conditions, He never looked like he was struggling, he put the bowlers under pressure and punished the loose balls. It was the complete Test match innings. I'm hoping it kick-starts him. He got a 100 at Adelaide in an ODI in 2017 so he loves batting there. Hopefully Pakistan win the toss there and then Babar Azam and whoever else in the batting can dominate and give Pakistan that 1st innings score to put Australia under pressure"
"I'm not too worried about the Pakistan batting, they didn't get enough in the 1st innings but I think they'll bat well in these conditions. We sort of saw that, Shan Masood played well today, Shafiq, Babar and Rizwan showed their class. You have 4 in the top 7 who will go to Adelaide with confidence"
"The basis of defending and leaving well is important for anybody's game. Your attack is an extension of your defence, if your defending well and your feeting are moving well with good balance, your game is in order and you can attack form that base. Babar's defence was exemplary"
"Babar is a proud man, he would've been disappointed by how he got out in the 1st innings. I love the celebration, it reminded me of the NZ 100 in the WC where he won us the game, it was a celebration of a lot of emotion, it was fantastic to see"
"That was a standout performance from Rizwan, he's been exceptional in this whole Test match. He shouldn't have been out in the first innings. He kept well, his energy was good and he deserved a hundred"
"You can never count Sarfaraz out, he'll be working hard to get his place back. He'll have to do well in domestic cricket. Healthy competition is always good. It was Sarfaraz with Rizwan as #2 pushing him, those roles are reversed a bit now. I wouldn't count Sarfaraz out, he'll keep pushing. They can both play in the same side, I think Rizwan is good enough to play as an out and out batsman"
"Using a 5-man bowling attack gives you the balance, it's an attacking option and that's one way of nursing Naseem Shah through his workload problems"
"Iftikhar got a really good ball today, he hasn't done too much wrong. He hasn't gotten himself in, that could happen to anybody. Not sure that his place is secure. Two batsmen under pressure are Haris and Iftikhar. I think you need to get Imam in the team, he's a very good player who has developed his game considerably. He's a confidence player, I'd get him back. I'd play Haris at 6, he was found out a bit by the short ball but I've seen what he can do at this level. Adelaide won't bounce like the Gabba, it'll be more subcontinental. He can give you a lot of overs"
"Naseem Shah did exceed expectations, I thought it was a high risk move. I thought he looked superb. Aggression - he ticks the box, he wasn't overawed by the occassion, he kept running in and got involved in stares, he had a presence and body language, with exuberance. Pace - pace is a gift and he has that in abundance. What they need to get right with him is control, I thought his control here wasn't bad at all, he didn't give many freebies away. If you get the pace, let them bowl as quick as they can then work on getting the control to where you want it. He ticked every box, I think Pakistan have unearthed a gem"
"I'd have to have a look at the wicket before considering 4 seamers. Adelaide genuinely turns, it has turned for a period of time because it's hot. You have 2 sessions in the heat and around half a session under lights where the ball swings and seams. You still need a spinner somewhere to bowl your overs. If the wicket showed any sign of deterioration, I would pick Yasir Shah"
"When the decision was being made about the D/N Test, some of the players were apprehensive about it. I thought it was a good opportunity for Pakistan to put Australia under pressure. It brings Pakistan's seamers a bit more into the game, there's more margin for error in the Pink ball Test. I think Pakistan could surprise them in the next Test match"
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