Pakistan going the same route as Sri Lanka!

[Mamoon]

India were 0-2 after first 2 tests in SA with a strong batting line up against a weaker SA team. I did not see any Indian posters saying their team is finished. Honestly, how many teams have recently won away from home?

England is no minnow team. Given right conditions, they can demolish any team at their home.

Not many, but how many teams have lost to this pathetic Sri Lankan side at home, let alone get whitewashed?

Pakistani fans are immune to humiliation, but any self-respecting fans would have drowned in shame after that series. It was embarrassing as losing a Test in Zimbabwe in 2013.

Pakistani fans have no leg to stand on after that result. We talk too much for a team that got blanked by Sri Lanka in a home series.

Tactical mistakes and whatever, but it was a result that cannot be excused, and one win in England doesn’t remotely make up for it.

If India were to lose a Test series at home to Sri Lanka, Pakistani fans would talk about for centuries. I think they are quite dignified for not constantly rubbing it in.

 

[Abdullah]

We are finished in Test cricket.

Haven't we been finished a fair while now ??
We will never be finished , especially for us proper fans.
7 of the the 11 have played a handful of games and this was early season English conditions with England at full strength.
Give a rest sometimes

 

[BaankeJi]

We are finished in Test cricket.

Now you are just trying to needle Pakistani fans.

 

[Abdullah]

Everybody who knew anything about cricket would have taken 1-1 before the series.
Most of PP was saying a whopping was incoming 2-0 and now the same guys are behaving like this is the end of Pak test team.
Get a grip

 

[sam_ahm]

Plain and simple overall the performance of Pakistan team has beem good, esp the youngsters have done extremely well. Lets also not forget that Pakistan were without their main spinner in Yasir Shah.

It is the performance of senior players that is most worrying. I think Pakistan should not hesitate to drop them if they fail again.

I also don't know if the main players play regularly in the domestic FC competiton. They should, and ideally their performance should be better than other fringe players. Domestic form + international form should decide your pkace in the side. You cannot wait for a player to fail in 3-4 international series before thinking about dropping him.

 

[Savak]

Misbah backed Azhar Ali, Asad Shafiq but did not give a chance to any other batsman in the team to settle. It will be hilarious to now see that the likes of Azhar Ali and Asad Shafiq prove to be terrible investments now that they can no longer hide behind Younis.

 

[The_Odd_One]

Not many, but how many teams have lost to this pathetic Sri Lankan side at home, let alone get whitewashed?

Pakistani fans are immune to humiliation, but any self-respecting fans would have drowned in shame after that series. It was embarrassing as losing a Test in Zimbabwe in 2013.

Pakistani fans have no leg to stand on after that result. We talk too much for a team that got blanked by Sri Lanka in a home series.

Tactical mistakes and whatever, but it was a result that cannot be excused, and one win in England doesn’t remotely make up for it.

If India were to lose a Test series at home to Sri Lanka, Pakistani fans would talk about for centuries. I think they are quite dignified for not constantly rubbing it in.

Relax. It was a two tests series. SL is not a minnow team in tests. They even beat Australia.

That SL loss was a fluke for SL. Mickey and Sarfraz messed up team selection. With right team, Pakistan will beat SL 4 out of 5 times.

 

[Ab Fan]

Pakistan are a better test team than England.

 

[Ab Fan]

And when push comes into shove in ICC tourneys, they are also a better 50-over team than England as well.

The analogy is similar to it is between India and South Africa.

 

[ArsenalFC]

Don't forget that Aus has to bat in UAE as well and they won't have Smith and Warner. They are likely to struggle more.

That is true both will be missed as they both had a good series when they last played Pakistan in the desert. This series will be close and could go either way.

 

[ArsenalFC]

Relax. It was a two tests series. SL is not a minnow team in tests. They even beat Australia.

That SL loss was a fluke for SL. Mickey and Sarfraz messed up team selection. With right team, Pakistan will beat SL 4 out of 5 times.

Sri Lanka would beat Pakistan again. Unfortunately I don't see anyone in our batting who could stand up to Herath. Even the other spinners were finding it easy.

Playing 2 spinners will not be suffice to cover the deficiencies in our batting.

As for Australia's away tour to SL, they obviously didn't take it seriously but that changed when they went to India where they narrowly lost 2-1 against the best team in Asia at their backyard.

If Australia had Smith and Warner in their XI for this year's series in UAE then a whitewash would be on the cards.

Unfortunately this Pakistan test side is a minnow like SL and Windies let alone Afghanistan, Ireland and Bangladesh.

 

[jeeteshssaxena]

Pakistan drew the series in England but sorry a 2 match series decides nothing.
In 2014 ind was 1-0 ahead after the first two tests and after that we lost by 3-1.
Yes a win at Lord's is a good achievement but i think pakistan is still no. 7 in ranking and it is completely justified. Pakistan has a long way to go before they become a good test team.
It is a blessing in disguise for pak that this series had only 2 matches.
Pak team has to fill many holes, their bowling is nothing special (which is their main strength ).

 

[babajee]

Sri Lanka would beat Pakistan again. Unfortunately I don't see anyone in our batting who could stand up to Herath. Even the other spinners were finding it easy.

Playing 2 spinners will not be suffice to cover the deficiencies in our batting.

As for Australia's away tour to SL, they obviously didn't take it seriously but that changed when they went to India where they narrowly lost 2-1 against the best team in Asia at their backyard.

If Australia had Smith and Warner in their XI for this year's series in UAE then a whitewash would be on the cards.

Unfortunately this Pakistan test side is a minnow like SL and Windies let alone Afghanistan, Ireland and Bangladesh.

Get left handers in to tackle Herath like Fakhar, Saad and Fawad.

 

[ArsenalFC]

Get left handers in to tackle Herath like Fakhar, Saad and Fawad.

Agreed, exactly what is needed against Santner when NZ come over to play later this year. Time to drop the choker in Shafiq and strengthen the batting line up against spin with Fakhar would be a start.

 

[Hadi Rizvi]

Not many, but how many teams have lost to this pathetic Sri Lankan side at home, let alone get whitewashed?

Pakistani fans are immune to humiliation, but any self-respecting fans would have drowned in shame after that series. It was embarrassing as losing a Test in Zimbabwe in 2013.

Pakistani fans have no leg to stand on after that result. We talk too much for a team that got blanked by Sri Lanka in a home series.

Tactical mistakes and whatever, but it was a result that cannot be excused, and one win in England doesn’t remotely make up for it.

If India were to lose a Test series at home to Sri Lanka, Pakistani fans would talk about for centuries. I think they are quite dignified for not constantly rubbing it in.

How many teams have chased ~400 in 4th innings?
How many teams have scored 400+ in 4th innings vs AUS in AUS?
How many teams have won the 1st test against ENG in ENG in May?
How many teams have NOT lost a series to ENG since 2010?

This side is young. Give them time. We sorely missed Yasir and Babar as well.

I offer you the same deal.

If PAK loses both the UAE series then I'll leave this forum.
If PAK wins both then you leave this forum.

 

[Usman Chadda]

Pakistan drew the series in England but sorry a 2 match series decides nothing.
In 2014 ind was 1-0 ahead after the first two tests and after that we lost by 3-1.
Yes a win at Lord's is a good achievement but i think pakistan is still no. 7 in ranking and it is completely justified. Pakistan has a long way to go before they become a good test team.
It is a blessing in disguise for pak that this series had only 2 matches.
Pak team has to fill many holes, their bowling is nothing special (which is their main strength ).

I'm sure you didn't watch the series. I'll bump this post when Root and co. are mauling Indian bowlers for 100s, while Pakistan didn't let any of their batsmen score even one.

 

[jeeteshssaxena]

I'm sure you didn't watch the series. I'll bump this post when Root and co. are mauling Indian bowlers for 100s, while Pakistan didn't let any of their batsmen score even one.

I did watch the series and i'm sure that if our bowlers get same type of pitches then they'll perform as good as ur bowlers did.
Yeah if they prepare flat pitches then they may score but then who will get our batsmen out.

 

[Mamoon]

How many teams have chased ~400 in 4th innings?
How many teams have scored 400+ in 4th innings vs AUS in AUS?
How many teams have won the 1st test against ENG in ENG in May?
How many teams have NOT lost a series to ENG since 2010?

This side is young. Give them time. We sorely missed Yasir and Babar as well.

I offer you the same deal.

If PAK loses both the UAE series then I'll leave this forum.
If PAK wins both then you leave this forum.

I am not interesting in your childish bets. Pakistan may or may not win the series against Australia and New Zealand, but it is pretty clear that they lack batting depth. We have comfortably one of the worst batting lineups in the world.

As far as chasing those totals against Sri Lanka is concerned, that Sharjah chase was great but it was a one-off. We had to chase 300 in two sessions, and we threw the kitchen sink at it and worked. Even Azhar Ali scored a hundred at a 70+ SR.

We have crapped our pants against Herath since 2009, but our attacking intent put him off his length, and Mathews' defensive captaincy gave us momentum. Any team would have chased that total in those circumstances considering Sri Lanka's negative tactics and the state of the pitch, which was pretty good for batting. Also, there was no expectations from us. The series was pretty much gone, and we decided to have a go without any fear.

As far as the other chase is concerned, the pitch had flattened on day 5 and Sri Lanka did not have Herath. Their spinner was some Kaushal guy, an awful off-spinner and a completely nobody. You know the pitch is flat and the bowling is rubbish when Shan Masood scores 126.

The so-called "run chase" against Australia at Brisbane was pointless. The match was done and dusted, and Shafiq played a few shots and got lucky. The Australian bowlers and fielders also relaxed before Shafiq got going. If Pakistan had an opportunity of chasing the total, they would have never got anywhere close to the total because of our inability to bat under pressure.

Our 4th innings collapses tell a story. We only do well when there is less pressure and expectations.

Sri Lanka won a series in England in the early summer of 2014. England have been weak at home for a number of years now, they have lost Tests to South Africa, Australia, India, Sri Lanka and even West Indies as well. Yes our record in England is excellent, but they are by far the most beatable major non-Asian team.

The youth of this side is a myth - Azhar, Shafiq and Sarfraz are in their 30s.

Haris is considered young, but he will be 30 in a couple of years. He should be in his prime, but he bats like a 20 year novice and cannot score big to save his life. In 2-3 years, he will be past his prime. He will be lucky to score 5 hundreds for Pakistan across formats.

Yasir Shah is getting old as well. Yes the fast bowling core is young, but our attack has been repeatedly found out on flat pitches. Nonetheless, as long as we do not get our batting in order, we will not be a top Test team.

There is no batting pedigree in this side barring Babar. Imam, Usman etc. are decent, but they are not going to send chills down anyone's spine. These players will not turn into world beaters because of experience. If everyone got better with experience and time, there would be no mediocre 30 year old players.

Pakistan will not get into the top four rankings any time soon. 6th and 7th are where we will reside for years to come.

 

[Mamoon]

Relax. It was a two tests series. SL is not a minnow team in tests. They even beat Australia.

That SL loss was a fluke for SL. Mickey and Sarfraz messed up team selection. With right team, Pakistan will beat SL 4 out of 5 times.

Sri Lanka may not be a minnow, but they cannot win away against any half-decent team. Their whitewash was not a fluke because you cannot fluke Tests, and as long as Herath is playing, they will do well against us because our batsmen are his bunnies.

Mickey and Sarfraz made a tactical blunder because of not playing two spinners, but it does not justify the poor performances of the batsmen, who got out for low scores except for one innings.

 

[The_Odd_One]

Sri Lanka may not be a minnow, but they cannot win away against any half-decent team. Their whitewash was not a fluke because you cannot fluke Tests, and as long as Herath is playing, they will do well against us because our batsmen are his bunnies.

Mickey and Sarfraz made a tactical blunder because of not playing two spinners, but it does not justify the poor performances of the batsmen, who got out for low scores except for one innings.

Everything that could have gone wrong went wrong for Pakistan. It was not a full strength team. It was the first series after Younis and Misbah retired. Pakistan did not play second spinner, etc.

It was similar to Pakistan winning 2 tests in England in 2016, right?

 

[The_Odd_One]

Everything that could have gone wrong went wrong for Pakistan. It was not a full strength team. It was the first series after Younis and Misbah retired. Pakistan did not play second spinner, etc.

It was similar to Pakistan winning 2 tests in England in 2016, right?

BTW, SL did beat Bangladesh in an away series. According to yourself, Bangladesh cricket is going north and they have all the ingredients to be decent team.

 

[Amjid Javed]

Pakistan will start to regulary lose home test series in UAE now with current pathetic batting line up and captain. I can see New zealand winning when they tour next and Australia probably taking home a drawn series when they tour as well.

 

[Hadi Rizvi]

We are never going along the SL route because we're not crap at all formats of the game.

SL don't have any outstanding/appreciable bowlers or batsmen except maybe Herath and Mathews.

PAK on the other hand has Amir, Junaid, Hasan, Yasir, Shadab, Hussain Talat, Haris, Malik, Fakhar, Sharjeel, Azhar, Asad and few more all of whom are spread around in different formats of the game. All of the afore mentioned players are great at their respective roles and only Asad has disappointed in recent years in terms of performance.

None of the players from SL except Herath and Mathews have the kind of impact that our players have.

We might be average in Tests but we're the best in T20s and a strong team in ODIs.

 

[Adijazz1706]

Sri Lanka may not be a minnow, but they cannot win away against any half-decent team. Their whitewash was not a fluke because you cannot fluke Tests, and as long as Herath is playing, they will do well against us because our batsmen are his bunnies.

Mickey and Sarfraz made a tactical blunder because of not playing two spinners, but it does not justify the poor performances of the batsmen, who got out for low scores except for one innings.

Didn't they win against a rising Bangladesh (your words) whose cricket is getting better while Pak are getting worse (your words again)

 

[The_Odd_One]

Didn't they win against a rising Bangladesh (your words) whose cricket is getting better while Pak are getting worse (your words again)

Do not ask difficult questions. SL has won more tests than England, NZ, Pakistan, WI, and Bangladesh in the last 2 years. Yet, they are a "pathetic" test team as per our expert.

 

[Mamoon]

Didn't they win against a rising Bangladesh (your words) whose cricket is getting better while Pak are getting worse (your words again)

Bangladesh still have a long way to go in Test cricket, but they are heading in the right direction.

 

[Hasan123]

We won't be heading down the Sri Lanka route. We have enough quality coming through. I think Sri Lanka will rise again , they have some talanted batsmen who need time to adjust to international cricket and also have a couple of decent pacers.

 

[Usman Chadda]

Bangladesh still have a long way to go in Test cricket, but they are heading in the right direction.

MashaAllah getting smashed by Afghanistan 3-0 is definitely the right direction

 

[Mamoon]

MashaAllah getting smashed by Afghanistan 3-0 is definitely the right direction

If a team like Pakistan can lose a Test in Zimbabwe after 60 years of Test cricket, as well as get whitewashed at home by Sri Lanka, a team that played its first Test 30 years after Pakistan, then surely a young team like Bangladesh can suffer at the hands of Afghanistan in a T20 series.

It is a process that takes time. Teams like Pakistan and India established themselves at the right time, while Bangladesh emerged at a time when the game was mature. It is incredibly hard for a new team to establish itself, and it will take a long, long time.

Bangladesh have done very well after 20 years at the top level.

 

[Khan12]

Never knew UAE is in Pakistan.

 

[Titan24]

If a team like Pakistan can lose a Test in Zimbabwe after 60 years of Test cricket, as well as get whitewashed at home by Sri Lanka, a team that played its first Test 30 years after Pakistan, then surely a young team like Bangladesh can suffer at the hands of Afghanistan in a T20 series.

So playing a particular format for a number of years mean you can never lose to a weaker team ever. Now thats some theory.

Young team? Bangladesh? Its now almost 20 years since they were awarded test status!! Have Pak and India taken this much amount of time to create an impact in the longer format?

 

[Usman Chadda]

If a team like Pakistan can lose a Test in Zimbabwe after 60 years of Test cricket, as well as get whitewashed at home by Sri Lanka, a team that played its first Test 30 years after Pakistan, then surely a young team like Bangladesh can suffer at the hands of Afghanistan in a T20 series.

It is a process that takes time. Teams like Pakistan and India established themselves at the right time, while Bangladesh emerged at a time when the game was mature. It is incredibly hard for a new team to establish itself, and it will take a long, long time.

Bangladesh have done very well after 20 years at the top level.

Yeah. Suffer for one game or maybe two. But whitewash? I'm sorry but Bangladesh have stagnated since that brilliant summer they had in 2015. Since then its been more words than action. I'm sure you hypocritically believe Bangladesh reaching the SF of the CT is a bigger achievement than Pakistan winning the damn thing

 

[Bhaag Viru Bhaag]

Imagine if this was a 3 test match series? Both teams would have tied at 1-1 before going into the final test where anything could have happened. Imagine again that 3rd test got washed out due to rain who would have got the moral victory out of Eng and Pak?

 

[Syed1]

Imagine if this was a 3 test match series? Both teams would have tied at 1-1 before going into the final test where anything could have happened. Imagine again that 3rd test got washed out due to rain who would have got the moral victory out of Eng and Pak?

England for sure. To be 1 down in the series and then come out and dish out an innings defeat phainti is a definite moral victory in my book. Had we had a full third test who knows what might have happened. I'm guessing Pak would have played Fakhar and done something about Sarfaraz's batting position. All in all it would have been an interesting test, but alas.

 

[Mamoon]

So playing a particular format for a number of years mean you can never lose to a weaker team ever. Now thats some theory.

Young team? Bangladesh? Its now almost 20 years since they were awarded test status!! Have Pak and India taken this much amount of time to create an impact in the longer format?

Losing a Test to Zimbabwe and getting whitewashed by Sri Lanka in a home series is a bigger shame for Pakistan than getting whitewashed by Afghanistan in a T20 series is for Bangladesh. It is not the end of the world and Bangladesh should not be written off because of this series.

Yes Bangladesh is a young team, they haven't even been around at the top level for two decades. Pakistan and India emerged in the 1950s when cricket was played at a rubbish level, and wasn't the competitive high intensity sport that it is today.

It was a game played by a bunch of white men and the Caribbeans. The landscape was completely different when Bangladesh emerged in the late 90's.

 

[Mamoon]

Yeah. Suffer for one game or maybe two. But whitewash? I'm sorry but Bangladesh have stagnated since that brilliant summer they had in 2015. Since then its been more words than action. I'm sure you hypocritically believe Bangladesh reaching the SF of the CT is a bigger achievement than Pakistan winning the damn thing

Of course reaching the semifinals of the Champions Trophy for a team like Bangladesh is a bigger achievement. Pakistan is in decline but it is and will remain a major cricketing nation, while Bangladesh is still fighting off the minnows tag.

Yes they have stagnated a bit, but teams go through these patches. They have made big strides over the last 10 years and there is no reason why they shouldn't get better over the next 10-15 years.

I would suggest that Pakistani fans should worry about their future instead of healing their wounds by venting their frustrations on Bangladesh.

 

[babajee]

Thank you rain for giving Bangladesh their only achievement in cricketing history.

 

[Usman Chadda]

Of course reaching the semifinals of the Champions Trophy for a team like Bangladesh is a bigger achievement. Pakistan is in decline but it is and will remain a major cricketing nation, while Bangladesh is still fighting off the minnows tag.

Yes they have stagnated a bit, but teams go through these patches. They have made big strides over the last 10 years and there is no reason why they shouldn't get better over the next 10-15 years.

I would suggest that Pakistani fans should worry about their future instead of healing their wounds by venting their frustrations on Bangladesh.

If you would said that in 2016, maybe we would have taken you seriously but there are no wounds right now. Pakistan finally has a young team which has a lot of potential. The likes of Fakhar, Hasan, Amir, Shadab, Babar, Faheem, Talat, Shenwari, Shaheen are here to stay and will only get better with more experience. We are all excited to see how it all pans out. Alhamdulillah we have moved past the awful phase where we had Tanvir and Anwar Ali opening the bowling attack for Pakistan

I don't really care about Bangladesh's progress. Most here would like to see them succeed, as rooting for the underdog comes naturally to us. But their fans have had an insufferable attitude to the point where Indian, Lankan and Pakistani fans come together to bash them senseless when it more of then not goes pear-shaped. That takes some doing for a team that has never been ranked above 5 in the history of their playing career.

 

[El Generico]

Of course reaching the semifinals of the Champions Trophy for a team like Bangladesh is a bigger achievement. Pakistan is in decline but it is and will remain a major cricketing nation, while Bangladesh is still fighting off the minnows tag.

Yes they have stagnated a bit, but teams go through these patches. They have made big strides over the last 10 years and there is no reason why they shouldn't get better over the next 10-15 years.

I would suggest that Pakistani fans should worry about their future instead of healing their wounds by venting their frustrations on Bangladesh.

What wounds though? In recent times, Pakistan has won the CT, drawn two away test series against England, Won an away test series in WI and achieved the #1 ranking in T20 cricket.

The last couple of years have been relatively successful for Pakistan, why would the fans be hurt or "wounded"?

 

[Mainul]

Yeah. Suffer for one game or maybe two. But whitewash? I'm sorry but Bangladesh have stagnated since that brilliant summer they had in 2015. Since then its been more words than action. I'm sure you hypocritically believe Bangladesh reaching the SF of the CT is a bigger achievement than Pakistan winning the damn thing

Have you forgotten 5-0 drubbing to New Zealand after that CT trumph. Losing to Afganistan is off course humiliating but so does for a CT winner.I am eagerly waiting for Pak vs Afgans clash in a neutral venue.

 

[El Generico]

Have you forgotten 5-0 drubbing to New Zealand after that CT trumph. Losing to Afganistan is off course humiliating but so does for a CT winner.I am eagerly waiting for Pak vs Afgans clash in a neutral venue.

Losing to NZ in NZ is not ideal but surely you can't compare that to getting swept by Afghanistan in a neutral venue, can you?

 

[Mainul]

Losing to NZ in NZ is not ideal but surely you can't compare that to getting swept by Afghanistan in a neutral venue, can you?

Off course not.Losing to Afgans are more humiliating than to NZ.But 5-0 scoreline is a big margin also for a team who has just won CT in a neutral venue in England.After CT win some Pakistanis were so overhyping that 5-0 loss looked more uglier than it was.

 

[hadi123]

Of course reaching the semifinals of the Champions Trophy for a team like Bangladesh is a bigger achievement. Pakistan is in decline but it is and will remain a major cricketing nation, while Bangladesh is still fighting off the minnows tag.

Yes they have stagnated a bit, but teams go through these patches. They have made big strides over the last 10 years and there is no reason why they shouldn't get better over the next 10-15 years.

I would suggest that Pakistani fans should worry about their future instead of healing their wounds by venting their frustrations on Bangladesh.

You really think a team making a semi finals is a bigger achievement than Pakistan winning the CT?! Wow. The mind boggles. Must be one of the strangest claims I've seen on PP.

Oh BRB, Bangladesh were actually ranked above Pakistan when the tournament began.

 

[Usman Chadda]

Have you forgotten 5-0 drubbing to New Zealand after that CT trumph. Losing to Afganistan is off course humiliating but so does for a CT winner.I am eagerly waiting for Pak vs Afgans clash in a neutral venue.

Had we lost 5-0 to Sri Lanka, this comment of yours would have been acceptable.

Pakistan would cream both Afghanistan and Bangladesh at this moment. You very well know that yourself.

 

[Mamoon]

You really think a team making a semi finals is a bigger achievement than Pakistan winning the CT?! Wow. The mind boggles. Must be one of the strangest claims I've seen on PP.

Oh BRB, Bangladesh were actually ranked above Pakistan when the tournament began.

Doesn’t matter what their ranking was. Bangladesh are still considered minnows and have never won a title in their history. Reaching the Champions Trophy semifinal was a bigger achievement for Bangladesh than winning the Champions Trophy was for Pakistan, a major cricket nation with ICC trophies in its cabinet.

Bangladesh were ranked higher, but if they would have won the tournament, it would have been considered a miracle. Pakistan were unexpected winners, but they were praised for bringing their A game.

Pakistan has the reputation of a team that is very dangerous on its day, while Bangladesh is still considered a minnow but an improving one.

 

[The_Odd_One]

Doesn’t matter what their ranking was. Bangladesh are still considered minnows and have never won a title in their history. Reaching the Champions Trophy semifinal was a bigger achievement for Bangladesh than winning the Champions Trophy was for Pakistan, a major cricket nation with ICC trophies in its cabinet.

Bangladesh were ranked higher, but if they would have won the tournament, it would have been considered a miracle. Pakistan were unexpected winners, but they were praised for bringing their A game.

Pakistan has the reputation of a team that is very dangerous on its day, while Bangladesh is still considered a minnow but an improving one.

Bangladesh's semi final qualification was a fluke. Australia deserved to qualify in their place.

They had just one good day when they beat NZ (again a fluke). Outside Bangladesh, NZ will beat them 9 out of 10 times.

 

[BreadPakoda]

I would say Sri Lanka is going the Pakistan way. You never know when they would throw a surprise.
Defeated India in the CT, bundled India out for a paltry score in Dharamshala, white washed Pakistan in UAE tests, won test series in England, ODIs in Australia and now could win this test in West Indies. Some glimpses of potential yet very mercurial. Much like Pakistan.

 

[hadi123]

Doesn’t matter what their ranking was. Bangladesh are still considered minnows and have never won a title in their history. Reaching the Champions Trophy semifinal was a bigger achievement for Bangladesh than winning the Champions Trophy was for Pakistan, a major cricket nation with ICC trophies in its cabinet.

Bangladesh were ranked higher, but if they would have won the tournament, it would have been considered a miracle. Pakistan were unexpected winners, but they were praised for bringing their A game.

Pakistan has the reputation of a team that is very dangerous on its day, while Bangladesh is still considered a minnow but an improving one.

Oh yes, I forgot, Pakistan winning the CT was a fluke wasn't it. But Bangladesh who got there on the basis of 1 win and a match being rained off a few overs short of the minimum overs required for DL where they were clearly gonna lose is a bigger achievement than Pakistan easily beating SA, England and India, 3 of the best ODI teams in the world. Your logic is just something else.

 

[The_Odd_One]

Sri Lanka would beat Pakistan again. Unfortunately I don't see anyone in our batting who could stand up to Herath. Even the other spinners were finding it easy.

Playing 2 spinners will not be suffice to cover the deficiencies in our batting.

As for Australia's away tour to SL, they obviously didn't take it seriously but that changed when they went to India where they narrowly lost 2-1 against the best team in Asia at their backyard.

If Australia had Smith and Warner in their XI for this year's series in UAE then a whitewash would be on the cards.

Unfortunately this Pakistan test side is a minnow like SL and Windies let alone Afghanistan, Ireland and Bangladesh.

Australia will take a game played on a street more seriously than most other teams. What an insulting and pathetic thing to say about the most professional team in the history of cricket.

Did you even watch the India-Australia series? Indian batting was horrible in that series with Kohli leading from the front with a mighty average of 6. Smith was the only standout batsman from both teams. Are you telling me that Warner did not take the Indian series seriously too? Who won first test for Australia, O'Keefe who is not even a regular?

Going back to Pakistan. They made tactical errors in the SL series. Not playing a second spinner was a series losing mistake. It was also the first series after Younis and Misbah. They will not make the same mistake again. Yes, batting failed but if you watched that series, Pakistani bowling allowed SL to score 400+ in the first inning of first test and almost 500 in the first inning of second test.

Pakistan will beat Australia in the UAE because Australia is the worse team in Asian conditions. The Indian series was a fluke due to individual brilliances of Steve Smith and O'Keefe (only in the first test).

 

[The_Odd_One]

Oh yes, I forgot, Pakistan winning the CT was a fluke wasn't it. But Bangladesh who got there on the basis of 1 win and a match being rained off a few overs short of the minimum overs required for DL where they were clearly gonna lose is a bigger achievement than Pakistan easily beating SA, England and India, 3 of the best ODI teams in the world. Your logic is just something else.

What happened to the logic that Australia, NZ, and England will beat Bangladesh 9 out of 10 times outside Bangladesh?

 

[Ab Fan]

Australia will take a game played on a street more seriously than most other teams. What an insulting and pathetic thing to say about the most professional team in the history of cricket.

Did you even watch the India-Australia series? Indian batting was horrible in that series with Kohli leading from the front with a mighty average of 6. Smith was the only standout batsman from both teams. Are you telling me that Warner did not take the Indian series seriously too? Who won first test for Australia, O'Keefe who is not even a regular?

Going back to Pakistan. They made tactical errors in the SL series. Not playing a second spinner was a series losing mistake. It was also the first series after Younis and Misbah. They will not make the same mistake again. Yes, batting failed but if you watched that series, Pakistani bowling allowed SL to score 400+ in the first inning of first test and almost 500 in the first inning of second test.

Pakistan will beat Australia in the UAE because Australia is the worse team in Asian conditions. The Indian series was a fluke due to individual brilliances of Steve Smith and O'Keefe (only in the first test).

Australia didn't came up with good preparations against Sri Lanka which is why they got whitewashed 0-3 in Sri Lanka series.

However, with the way SL exposed them at home, they took the India series very seriously and did lots of preparations for that. A good number of new players were brought specially for the series like Renshaw, Handscomb and O'Keefe.

Warner is not a good player in turning tracks which is why he failed in Sri Lanka series and also failed in India series ahead.

 

[The_Odd_One]

Australia didn't came up with good preparations against Sri Lanka which is why they got whitewashed 0-3 in Sri Lanka series.

However, with the way SL exposed them at home, they took the India series very seriously and did lots of preparations for that. A good number of new players were brought specially for the series like Renshaw, Handscomb and O'Keefe.

Warner is not a good player in turning tracks which is why he failed in Sri Lanka series and also failed in India series ahead.

There is no evidence that proves it. A case could have been made had they sent their B team to Sri Lanka. It was a first choice team which had Warner, Khawaja, Smith, Marsh, Starc, Hazlewood, and Lyon. Their second spinner was O'Keefe who played in India too. Nothing suggests that they did not take the SL series seriously.

 

[Mamoon]

Tours of Sri Lanka, UAE/Pakistan and Bangladesh are irrelevant for Australia. They are nothing but warmups for the tour of India, which is the second most important tour for Australia after the English Ashes.

If Australia wins in UAE, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh but loses in India, all the hard work and success will be undone. Similarly, if Australia loses in the said countries but wins in India, the disappointment of losing those irrelevant series will be overshadowed by the accomplishment of winning in India.

People do not want to hear it, but only four countries matter in Test cricket - Australia, India, England and South Africa.

All other teams are there to fill up the numbers and provide practice to the four aforementioned countries when they are not playing each other.

 

[The_Odd_One]

There is no evidence that proves it. A case could have been made had they sent their B team to Sri Lanka. It was a first choice team which had Warner, Khawaja, Smith, Marsh, Starc, Hazlewood, and Lyon. Their second spinner was O'Keefe who played in India too. Nothing suggests that they did not take the SL series seriously.

In addition to that, Australia played one side match each in SL and India before the respective test series. So, there is zero evidence that suggests that Australia were underprepared/non-serious in the SL series.

 

[KevinFern]

Pakistan is too big a country both by population wise, diversity wise etc to go the Srilankan way

 

[The_Odd_One]

Tours of Sri Lanka, UAE/Pakistan and Bangladesh are irrelevant for Australia. They are nothing but warmups for the tour of India, which is the second most important tour for Australia after the English Ashes.

If Australia wins in UAE, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh but loses in India, all the hard work and success will be undone. Similarly, if Australia loses in the said countries but wins in India, the disappointment of losing those irrelevant series will be overshadowed by the accomplishment of winning in India.

People do not want to hear it, but only four countries matter in Test cricket - Australia, India, England and South Africa.

All other teams are there to fill up the numbers and provide practice to the four aforementioned countries when they are not playing each other.

There will be some series which will be more important for certain teams but it does not mean that everything else is just practice.

A proud cricketing nation like Australia will bother about a 0-3 series loss to any opposition and this what Steve Smith said:

It's a hard one to grasp really, it's been a very tough series again, that is our third straight whitewash loss in the subcontinent," Smith said. "What we are doing isn't working. Batters aren't adapting to the conditions, spin bowlers aren't adapting to the conditions. I can't fault our quicks, I thought they did a great job, particularly Starc, but our batters and spinners are the ones who have to step up in these conditions and we haven't been able to do that.

I will take the word of Smith over a poster on a cricket forum.

Australia may bother more about the Ashes because it has prestigious history. Australia may bother about a series with SA because SA has beaten them at home more than once. Why would they bother about a series with India who they demolish every time at home?

 

[Savak]

We need to play sufficient test cricket. Atleast 15 tests per year to see where we stand. Given our test team is new, a few defeats early on should not be alarming or the end of the world

 

[Savage]

There is no evidence that proves it.

Australia set Training camp in UAE for complete squad just before that India series.

The remaining five players chosen to embark on Test cricket’s toughest task were in the New Zealand ODI squad – Peter Handscomb, Josh Hazlewood, Shaun Marsh, Glenn Maxwell and Mitchell Starc – and that group will today fly from New Zealand to the United Arab Emirates to complete the India squad.

https://www.cricket.com.au/news/aus...anka-smith-warner-starc-finch-lynn/2017-02-06

Australia were better prepared for India and bangladesh Test series in 2017 and they also performed much better in those series compared to nightmarish Lankan series in 2016.

 

[Iddy]

We are finished in Test cricket.

Oh dear! Here we go!

 

[Kroll]

Oh dear! Here we go!

If we can just bring our batting up from mediocre to at least average, I reckon we can be up there due to our above average bowling.

 

[Iddy]

If we can just bring our batting up from mediocre to at least average, I reckon we can be up there due to our above average bowling.

Agreed. Batting needs improvement. However there are some positives from the younger players who can improve further given some time.

 

[AuxiliA]

Australia may bother more about the Ashes because it has prestigious history. Australia may bother about a series with SA because SA has beaten them at home more than once. Why would they bother about a series with India who they demolish every time at home?

In the past 25 years, which also includes their golden era, Australia by far has their worse oversees record in India. Interestingly India is the only country to have a net positive win-loss record against them in this period. I am sure they would like to win in a country in which even their best teams have been demolished.


http://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/en...1993;spanval1=span;template=results;type=team


Moreover as many of their top players play in the IPL, they take their performance in India a bit more
seriously in order to boost up their contracts.

 

[Ab Fan]

There is no evidence that proves it. A case could have been made had they sent their B team to Sri Lanka. It was a first choice team which had Warner, Khawaja, Smith, Marsh, Starc, Hazlewood, and Lyon. Their second spinner was O'Keefe who played in India too. <B>Nothing suggests that they did not take the SL series seriously.</B>

Ofcourse, they did take the SL series seriously. Why would you send a B team when your A team is inexperienced and not good against spin?

However, their preparations were nowhere near as comparable as it was while touring India. They set training camps in UAE and dropped the players who are duds against spin like Khwaja, Burns and Voges. If Aus would have prepared this strongly against Sri Lanka, they could have come up with a series victory from there.

 

[Khan12]

Tours of Sri Lanka, UAE/Pakistan and Bangladesh are irrelevant for Australia. They are nothing but warmups for the tour of India, which is the second most important tour for Australia after the English Ashes.

If Australia wins in UAE, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh but loses in India, all the hard work and success will be undone. Similarly, if Australia loses in the said countries but wins in India, the disappointment of losing those irrelevant series will be overshadowed by the accomplishment of winning in India.

People do not want to hear it, but only four countries matter in Test cricket - Australia, India, England and South Africa.

All other teams are there to fill up the numbers and provide practice to the four aforementioned countries when they are not playing each other.

Why are Australia wasting thier time playing us or other countries they should just sit at home and practice since they have told you the only series which matters to them is the India series. Can you please pass it on to them since you clearly know they don't care about other series.

 

[ArsenalFC]

Australia will take a game played on a street more seriously than most other teams. What an insulting and pathetic thing to say about the most professional team in the history of cricket.

Did you even watch the India-Australia series? Indian batting was horrible in that series with Kohli leading from the front with a mighty average of 6. Smith was the only standout batsman from both teams. Are you telling me that Warner did not take the Indian series seriously too? Who won first test for Australia, O'Keefe who is not even a regular?

Going back to Pakistan. They made tactical errors in the SL series. Not playing a second spinner was a series losing mistake. It was also the first series after Younis and Misbah. They will not make the same mistake again. Yes, batting failed but if you watched that series, Pakistani bowling allowed SL to score 400+ in the first inning of first test and almost 500 in the first inning of second test.

Pakistan will beat Australia in the UAE because Australia is the worse team in Asian conditions. The Indian series was a fluke due to individual brilliances of Steve Smith and O'Keefe (only in the first test).

I stand by what I said unequivocally that Australia did not take any of their last tours of SL and UAE seriously and neither of the 2 previous tours (before 2017) in India as well.

They looked very under prepared and Australia in the last 5-8 years hasn't really focused so much with tours to Asia. They have been more focused on keeping up with the modern demands of batting in LOI and Ashes. The value on batting against spin and bowling spin in red ball cricket isn't what it used to be when it was the 90s and 2000s. This is evident from the fact that pitches used for domestic in Australia don't deteriorate like they used too.

Because of the constant whitewashes in India and then in UAE + SL they got the wake up call that they needed to compete in Asia if they're going to be number 1 test side in the world. Some of the Indian batsmen such as Kohli (who had a shocker) struggled which was expected due to the rank turners but take nothing away from O'Keefe and Lyon. They were both excellent. Despite how some of their batsmen struggled in that series don't forget they are still overall the best players of spin by a long way.

Cummins' selection later in the series was a big gamble for the Aussies after his long absence but the fact that they did is just a testament of how much the series meant for Australia and guess what it nearly paid off as well as he was on fire. If that series was in UAE, SL etc I doubt they would recalled him.

To answer your question I did watch the series and yes Smith had a freakish series and there wasn't great output from those alongside him in the batting line up, but they played spin so much better than when they were in UAE (2014) and SL (2016), where they were playing in such amateurish fashion when you see how they were constantly playing for spin on flat decks where there was none on offer. In India that is understandable because there is more prodigious turn for the slower bowlers but Australia's batsmen in a matter of months managed to fixed their technique after the SL whitewash series and adapt on rank turners. India were given a scare but proved their mettle and overcame tough moments to just about win in what was a nearly even contest in that series.

Pakistan made tactical errors of playing one spinner but I am far from convinced that this team can a) score big runs because they don't have someone who can score centuries consistently (let alone 150+ scores) and b) play spin. If Pakistan learns from its mistake and does play 2 spinners, I expect it to be a close contest and could head either way. I mus say again though if Warner and Smith were playing this wouldn't even be a contest.

 

[The_Odd_One]

That's the difference between a real #1 team like Pakistan and a chokers XI. Pakistan beat Scotland comfortably in T20s while England lose an ODI to them which is even harder to win for associate nations. I won't bring "closing the gap" Bangladesh into this conversation as they lost 0-3 to Afghanistan.

 

[Vancricketfan]

There will be some series which will be more important for certain teams but it does not mean that everything else is just practice.

A proud cricketing nation like Australia will bother about a 0-3 series loss to any opposition and this what Steve Smith said:



I will take the word of Smith over a poster on a cricket forum.

Australia may bother more about the Ashes because it has prestigious history. Australia may bother about a series with SA because SA has beaten them at home more than once. Why would they bother about a series with India who they demolish every time at home?

LOL. Did you check the records man? India have the best W/L record against Aus in the last 25 yrs. Even if you are talking about record in Australia, India drew test series in 2003 and won a test in 2008. even in last test series, they drew 2 matches. Do you want me to talk about your team's record over there in last 20 yrs. whitewash over whitewash... not even a single draw let alone winning a test match.

 

[The_Odd_One]

LOL. Did you check the records man? India have the best W/L record against Aus in the last 25 yrs. Even if you are talking about record in Australia, India drew test series in 2003 and won a test in 2008. even in last test series, they drew 2 matches. Do you want me to talk about your team's record over there in last 20 yrs. whitewash over whitewash... not even a single draw let alone winning a test match.

Why including matches at home. Even Pak and SL whitewashed Australia at home.

You have failed to win a single series in Australia and SA with Tendulkar, Dravid, Sehwag, Kohli, VVS, Zaheer, Kumble, Dhoni, etc. That's very poor considering these players are automatic selection in your all time XI.

Do not compare with weak Pakistan team. Your comparison is with Australia and SA, right? They have won series in India. Why can't you win a series at their home?

 

[Vancricketfan]

Why including matches at home. Even Pak and SL whitewashed Australia at home.

You have failed to win a single series in Australia and SA with Tendulkar, Dravid, Sehwag, Kohli, VVS, Zaheer, Kumble, Dhoni, etc. That's very poor considering these players are automatic selection in your all time XI.

Do not compare with weak Pakistan team. Your comparison is with Australia and SA, right? They have won series in India. Why can't you win a series at their home?

Did you read what you wrote? You mentioned Aus demolished, not beat, India at home EVERYTIME. Also context is why Aus taking India seriously over Pak and SL. Comparison is between Aus performance against India, pak and SL.

First of all how many series did Australia demolish India at home in last 2 decades? One out of last 4 series. Remaining 3 score line is 1-1, 2-1 and 2-0. If this is demolition in your dictionary then what do you say of 3-0, 3-0, 3-0, 3-0?

Why this excuse that great Indian couldn’t beat Aus? What did greatest ever pak do in 80s and 90s? Question is why Aus takes India more seriously than Pak and SL. Answer is India have been having great record at home against Aus even during the time Aus were no 1 in 90s and 2000s. Australia has won only one series in India in the last 35 yrs, whereas they won multiple series against Pak and SL during the same time. There is a rivalry between these two teams because India have best WL ratio against Aus in the last 25 yrs in test cricket.