"Of course it would be wrong to write Pakistan off. Write us off at your peril" : Mickey Arthur

[MenInG]

“Our inconsistent performance has been my major concern" : Mickey Arthur

Pakistan Head Coach Mickey Arthur is concerned with Pakistan’s inconsistent performances in one-day internationals (ODIs), since their Champions Trophy win in 2017.

Pakistan are currently playing a five-match ODI series against England, with the second match of the series scheduled to take place on Saturday, May 11.

“Our inconsistent performance has been my major concern. It can be attributed to the fact that we have a young team so that was always going to be the case,” said Arthur while talking to Sky Sports. “Even then we have played some tough ODI cricket away from home and have done particularly well in T20s.”

The South African also said that left-arm pacer Mohammad Amir’s dip in form since 2017 Champions Trophy made his selection difficult for the International Cricket Council (ICC) 2019 World Cup.

Although Arthur was hopeful that Amir’s absence from the World Cup squad will work as a wake-up call for him and he will be able to regain his form in the England series.

“Amir is a wonderful bowler. When he gets it right, his skill level is amazing so we hope he regain his bowling form,” he said. “However his performance since Champions Trophy has been below par which made it difficult to select him.”

The 50-year-old also emphasised the need to play an attacking brand of cricket and select bowlers that can bowl out oppositions.

“Although Amir hasn’t picked up many wickets, but his economy of 4.7 since Champions Trophy has been impressive. However, we need strike bowlers who are able to pick wickets, since that is the only way we can restrict opposition,” he said.

Arthur added: “Our young pacers are outstanding. We have got two 19-year-olds who have a very bright future ahead of them.”

Mickey Arthur also praised the HBL Pakistan Super League for giving a platform to young cricketers to showcase their talent and learn from international cricketers.

“PSL has allowed the players to perform in pressure situations and learn from international cricketers on how to deal with those situations,” he said. “It is a step up from the domestic competition in Pakistan and has helped produce talent for the national team.”

https://cricketpakistan.com.pk/en/n...-with-pakistans-inconsistent-odi-performances

 

[Corridor of Uncertainty]

The performances have not been inconsistent at all. They have been consistently bad.

Arthur is trying to hide behind wordplay and normal association of Pakistan cricket with unpredictability.

Say it what it is and it will be the first step toward finding solutions.

 

[Baigel]

How long is this going to stay a young team?

 

[Smudger]

How long is this going to stay a young team?

As long as you have 6 players below 25 years

 

[Ami]

Just lip service and we'll be in transition again after retirements of Hafeez and Malik.
We'll bring in a few new starters..
and then its back to 'young team' mantra for s few yrs.
Jeez!
Own up.
They're crap.

 

[saeed5646]

How long is this going to stay a young team?

As long as you have 6 players below 25 years

Saj Sadiq @Saj_PakPassion

The youngest squad at this summer's World Cup is that of Pakistan, where the average age is 27.3, followed closely by Afghanistan whose average age is 27.4

 

[Markhor]

We're consistent against the top 5 in losing, and consistent against the bottom sides (SL, WI, ZIM).

 

[MMHS]

I thought PAK is quite consistent actually .

But, I do agree that the squad is young - not in terms of biological age (I know that 27.3 - on "official" age), but this squad is genuinely young in terms of match inexperience, because of PCB's policy of delaying players. In recent times Imam, Shaheen, Shadab & Hasnain has somehow managed to crack the code, but players like Fakhar, Asif, Haris, Imad, Faheem (Yamin) ... should have several more matches under their cap by now (& Hafeez, Malik lot less). PAK is genuinely short of match experience - compared to age, that's even more which should cost at some point. And, that experience against top half is lesser.

 

[Abdullah719]

"Of course it would be wrong to write Pakistan off. Write us off at your peril" : Mickey Arthur

Mickey Arthur presser:

"We had some good warm up games, it was disappointing at The Oval (washed out game)"

"The preparation is excellent and invaluable. By the time the WC starts we'll have spent >6 weeks in UK which is good for us. Conditions are crucial here and it's important to get used to them, we're happy and it's gonna work out well for us I think"

"There's 8 teams that can win the World Cup. A team that gets on a role like we did at CT, anything can happen. The format's great, there's some good sides in the competition and I think it's going to be a very good World Cup"

"Of course it would be wrong to write Pakistan off. Write us off at your peril"

"We play the big tournaments well, we're a young side, the youngest coming into this competition which is both good and bad. You have exuberance of youth, expectations and responsibilities haven't hit them yet and they're with a bit of freedom"

"England are a great side, they're a very good ODI side, justifiably favourites. But you know in big tournaments, favourites go out of the window and it's about who performs on the day. Over a bilateral series you're expecting the best team to win at least 3 but in the WC anyone can win"

"Archer was very impressive the other day, he's been very impressive over a period of time. He's been outstanding. Without a doubt I'd certainly be picking him in the WC squad"

"We've got a lot of very good cricketers here. By Amir's own admission, his results since the CT haven't been ideal. We know he's a good bowler and he'll get opportunities to put his name forward"

"I think these conditions with suit Amir but they suit a lot of other seamers as well. It's a jostle for the final positions. Any team in that position is in good shape, you want competition for spots and I think we have that for all places and it's something we've worked on, something I'm proud of. Competition breeds good performances"

"Amir's a big match player, he wants the ball during pressure moments. Let's see how he goes. We'll be rotating the quicks in this series against England, everybody will get an opportunity and hopefully that gives us a massive selection conundrum come 20th May"

"We'll look at the conditions for the 2nd ODI, it looks drier so do we play a spinner, we'll think about it. Shoaib Malik has joined the team, he'll have a net, Hafeez will have a hit today"

 

[Hasan123]

So sick of hearing these typical sayings about Pakistan cricket that don't even apply to us right now.

 

[iPakistani]

Every press conference sounds the exact same with the same generic quotes.