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So near yet so far......where did it go wrong?

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Saj

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Pakistan were so close to squeezing out a draw in the 1st Test against New Zealand.

However it wasn't to be.

Where did it go wrong?
 
31-6 after tea in about 25 overs a collapse showing where we are as a test team.

The pitch was flat and such a collapse is inexcusable expect worse in the next match on a more bowler friendly wicket.
 
Simple Answer is toothless bowling.

Shaheen was the only bowler that looked like a proper test match bowler.
 
Pathetic openers. You're destined to lose when you're 2 down without a run on the board.
 
basitmian said:
Simple Answer is toothless bowling.

Shaheen was the only bowler that looked like a proper test match bowler.
Click to expand...

Fielding is a bigger issue. Abbas could've caught Nicholls when he was on around 10 runs. NZ would've been 150/4. instead Nicholls managed to make 56, and put on a 133 run partnership with Williamson.
 
Bowling attack but to be honest, we should appreciate the effort of Pakistan for taking it to the last few overs because it was a loss written from the ball one.
 
Rizwan, Faheem and Fawad were the only ones that showed any competency in this test with the bat.

Rizwan ran himself out first and then got an unplayable delivery.

Fawad threw his wicket away first innings. The second innings he played 1 bad shot.

The rest of this team is terrible. Fielding is horrible. Naseem is overhyped. Haris needs to just disappear for good.
 
It all goes to mentality. Seemed like only a quarter of team was putting any heart in it. Rizwan and Fawad gets top ratings for their effort but unfortunately can't deliver with rest remaining disinterested
 
It was a collective team failure. Apart from Shaheen, Rizwan, Faheem and Fawad in second innings, nobody showed heart.

Yasir shah in particular seems disinterested. Should get rid of him.
 
Naseem Shah and Yasir released all the pressure on first day. Opening bowlers did well, but as usual slips were standing way too behind. Keeper never came up to Abbas.

It was a slow pitch. A quality and/or disciplined spinner would have plucked out a few wickets after discipline of two pacers + Faheem.

Also, there's no X-factor in the bowling. Inducting Hasnain in a year or so should be the roadmap team management should follow. Plus a good leg-spinner/left-arm spinner is needed. Yasir has become very ordinary of late.

Openers, Haris Sohail are weak links as well, who need to be replaced sooner.

For the next test, Shan and Haris should be dropped for Babar and Rohail Nazir, with Azhar opening with Abid. Sohail and Zafar can replace Naseem and Yasir
 
Cric1234 said:
31-6 after tea in about 25 overs a collapse showing where we are as a test team.

The pitch was flat and such a collapse is inexcusable expect worse in the next match on a more bowler friendly wicket.
Click to expand...

At tea, or just after is when the 'think tank' stepped in.
 
wajid said:
It all goes to mentality. Seemed like only a quarter of team was putting any heart in it. Rizwan and Fawad gets top ratings for their effort but unfortunately can't deliver with rest remaining disinterested
Click to expand...

Mentality is exactly right.

The team doesn't have the right mentality. This back to wall stuff is all good TV but to win or draw from adversity requires an added layer of steel.

This team hasn't had it for years.
 
Same problem as always. We have never been able to find consistent openers who can be good for more than a series of so.
 
As is very often the case fans are left wondering "only we had taken that catch or that review".
 
We came closer than our last tour and India got beaten thoroughly recently by the same newzealand side. The match was pretty close and Pakistani batsmen made the newzealand bowlers play till the end. It can really take the gas out of you. It also gives Pakistan decent momentum going into the second test
 
Expectations went wrong. 7th ranked team without their only world class batsman goes to top ranked team's den and the inevitable happened.
 
Team played as good as it could, still it wasn't sufficient to draw - I don't think anything else could be asked. Facing 431, PAK took it to last 33 balls from 76/6 or so in first innings - that's a gallant effort. Overall the gap between two teams is too wide.
 
irresponsible shot from fawad and the others were not equipped to resist even on a docile pitch.
 
Cric1234 said:
31-6 after tea in about 25 overs a collapse showing where we are as a test team.

The pitch was flat and such a collapse is inexcusable expect worse in the next match on a more bowler friendly wicket.
Click to expand...

Collapses are very common in test cricket. The bottom order probably on average gets out to 25-40% of the runs scored by the top batsmen specially when the top order bats well. The pressure also increases as the number of balls gets closer. Its not directly proportional
 
MMHS said:
Team played as good as it could, still it wasn't sufficient to draw - I don't think anything else could be asked. Facing 431, PAK took it to last 33 balls from 76/6 or so in first innings - that's a gallant effort. Overall the gap between two teams is too wide.
Click to expand...

All that needs to be said. That too without Babar. There were shameful performances in the distant past when an incredibly weak, almost minnow NZ side managed to beat Pakistan in a test in Pakistan with Simon Doull outbowling waqar(despite all the tampering) and dipak patel outbowling saqlain. Or trundlers like daryl tuffey and james franklin, as opening bowlers, ripping through a middle order of Moyo,YK and Inzi.
 
This reminded me of our (India's) chase at Adelaide in 2014.

Aus too made a risky declaration with a gettable target for India and we were looking set to chase it down with Kohli and Vijay at the crease. And the collapse happened in the last session.

Thing with these type of chases is that as you'll look comfortable when the target is far away but as you get closer , the nerves and pressure sets in and your instincts go for a toss. That's why even a 180 chase looks extremely tough in 4th innings.
 
MMHS said:
Team played as good as it could, still it wasn't sufficient to draw - I don't think anything else could be asked. Facing 431, PAK took it to last 33 balls from 76/6 or so in first innings - that's a gallant effort. Overall the gap between two teams is too wide.
Click to expand...

As always spot on.
 
It didn't go wrong anywhere. Expectations are unfairly high for such a poor team now. The players are not international quality. We can't comment on players not select, we can only judge those at are and they really don't impress.
 
Saj said:
Pakistan were so close to squeezing out a draw in the 1st Test against New Zealand.

However it wasn't to be.

Where did it go wrong?
Click to expand...


Forget the draw.
Even if we had won this game, we are still not a good batting side. This is the bitter fact!

Except for Yasir Shah, I don’t have much of an issue with rest of the bowling attack. Chances were created by our pacers in the NZ’s batting innings, but fielding support wasn’t there.

It’s our batting, especially the top order, that has failure written all over it.
 
Pak punched above their weight and did surprisingly well with the bat but hopeless bowling ruined the fight showed by the batsmen.
 
Losing 6 wickets in final session on a flat surface is just criminal.

Also playing with 2 poor openers and such along tail is a continual issue.
 
Non contribution from top 4 batsmen in both inni gs.
Wrong selection of a leg spinner in New Zealand.
Poor batting capability in tail.
Lack of confidence in team as they have not won a test against decent side for long time.
 
It went wrong after the message from the dressing room was delivered to the batsmen after tea. Play defensive.
 
Poor fielding and top order couldn’t do anything. That is the gist of it. Middle-Lower order and bowlers played their hearts out.
 
The batting in the first innings and the pressure being released after having NZ 2 down early on in their 1st innings.
 
Well if we are specifically talking about the last day here - the 2 wickets of Rizwan and Fawad in quick succession appeared to be the killer blow. Even if Rizwan had been dismissed but Fawad had stayed I think we would have made it. However the real culprit is Yasir - absolutely pathetic. Do you even need to be educated to know what situation you are batting in and what is and what isn't required?? This is a guy who is a better bat (supposedly) than the other tailenders and who has a test 100 to his name - and yet the guys coming in after him who are supposed bunnies showed how it needed to be done. Couldn't even fight it out for a few overs. Disgusting.

Bare in mind I am speaking specifically about the last day here. The less said about the timid and gutless Abid, Shan, Azhar and Haris the better.
 
Nothing is wrong or seems wrong until you have finally lost the game.

The turning point of the game considering the situation was the soft dismissal of Fawad Alam. Even though he was our best player alongside Rizwan in the game
 
Clear passengers, players who have seriously let us down:

1.Yasir Shah
2. Azhar Ali
3. Harris Sohail

Im not going to throw the poor/inept for these conditions openers under the bus, we all know that they are sacrificial lambs in these conditions and I would love to hear the alternatives to Shan and Abid who may have done better in this match etc. But the three names mentioned are the biggest bottlers in Pakistan right now.

-Azhar Ali was giving fist pumps to NZ commentators on day 1 when he found out Pakistan isnt batting first against Boult and Southee after winning the toss.
+He was going around giving inspirational interviews to NZ media after reaching 30* overnight with a mountain to clim for Day 5. The guy's career is long over, the more he plays the more he tarnishes his legacy. And he already has proven to be a loser with his comments on 'Bara player hai review le lo', and when he got annoyed on the Urdu commentator for questioning Asad Shafiq's age.

-Yasir Shah cant spin the ball anymore, cant take wickets for us anymore. He cant bat to save his life and team as witnessed by everyone. He is more interested in playing to the galleries and handing out his Test cap to fans than applying 100% for the cause of his country

-Harris Sohail has no business in Test cricket overseas.
 
2nd series in a row in NZ we have thrown away a possible drawn test with a weak and pathetic collapse on final day of a game. This weak mental attitude and surrender needs to stop.
 
shamaan said:
can you tell me the last time someone batted more than 250 balls in sena ?
Click to expand...

Exactly my thought. You were going in with half a player in Haris Sohail as well, he's clearly still carrying something.

I reckon that our tail is just really shocking to say the least, i mean look at NZ decent tail as well as India and Australia. If Pakistan had a half decent tail we would've survived.
 
Saj said:
Pakistan were so close to squeezing out a draw in the 1st Test against New Zealand.

However it wasn't to be.

Where did it go wrong?
Click to expand...

mostly the following saj bhai

- Naseem isnt ready or is carrying an injury (his pace is down he's leaking too many runs)
- Azhar Ali is another passenger in the side. his 'experience' is about as useful as a bai painday ka lota
- Haris Sohail - not fit and i dunno concentration issues?
- Yasir Shah - absolutely useless in SENA conditions and I have no idea why we persist on playing him. In hindsight his Aus century is a millstone around our neck.
 
Shoaibbtt said:
Exactly my thought. You were going in with half a player in Haris Sohail as well, he's clearly still carrying something.

I reckon that our tail is just really shocking to say the least, i mean look at NZ decent tail as well as India and Australia. If Pakistan had a half decent tail we would've survived.
Click to expand...

Nah, Indians have a poor tail. Last 3-4 wickets don't add many runs.
 
Buffet said:
Nah, Indians have a poor tail. Last 3-4 wickets don't add many runs.
Click to expand...

Nah Buvi has a 50 i believe against Eng in Eng as does Shami. I've seen Umesh bat well as well but the only real tailender is perhaps Bumrah.

I knew Naseem was gonna get nervous and choke but the NZ field placement was next level insane.
 
Shoaibbtt said:
Exactly my thought. You were going in with half a player in Haris Sohail as well, he's clearly still carrying something.

I reckon that our tail is just really shocking to say the least, i mean look at NZ decent tail as well as India and Australia. If Pakistan had a half decent tail we would've survived.
Click to expand...

Yes agreed half a player is an understatement.i think shadab would have saved that game and maybe hassan ali.new zealand lower order is quite decent with santner,southee and the new fast bowler who can bat
 
sabre1486 said:
mostly the following saj bhai

- Naseem isnt ready or is carrying an injury (his pace is down he's leaking too many runs)
- Azhar Ali is another passenger in the side. his 'experience' is about as useful as a bai painday ka lota
- Haris Sohail - not fit and i dunno concentration issues?
- Yasir Shah - absolutely useless in SENA conditions and I have no idea why we persist on playing him. In hindsight his Aus century is a millstone around our neck.
Click to expand...

if naseem was carrying a injurry would they play him and why would he bowl that many overs
 
Terrible top order. Also Haris Sohail is not the same batsman he used to be either after his major injuries. It’s really really sad because I remember how excited everyone was leading up the 2013 SAF series where he was set to debut after scoring a million runs in the last 2 years in domestics but got injured right before the tests.

Then he came back and Misbah gave him a shot in a one off ODI game vs WI and that would be the last we would see of him for the next year or year and a half IIRC.

It took the selectors and captain forever to select him when he was sitting at like a ~57 average in FC cricket, and when they did he suffered some big injuries. Pretty unfortunate.

I still think he is 10x the batsman Abid Ali and Shan Masood or Sarfraz Ahmed will ever be, he has the skill, anyone who has followed his career knows that. So I would give him another shot.

The top order needs to go and Yasir + Naseem are duds and need to go.

Shaheen is a true Pathan warrior, and the Afridi clan should be happy that they found a cricketing successor to the GOAT allrounder Lala.
 
shamaan said:
Yes agreed half a player is an understatement.i think shadab would have saved that game and maybe hassan ali.new zealand lower order is quite decent with santner,southee and the new fast bowler who can bat
Click to expand...

Clearly something Pakistan should look to work on, you have to be able to hold a bat. I mean Tabish Khan is a very decent tailender that i saw.
 
In this game, the overall bowling attack and the top order. You've got to question the following players:

Shan Masood
Commendable work ethic, but the guy isn't really setting the world on fire with his runs. Even though, statistically, he's been Pakistan's best opener since about the SA tour in 2018, how long do you persist with him?

Abid Ali
Has a 50+ average in test cricket bolstered by thrashings vs SL and BANG. He's failed overall in the ENG tour and has failed in the first test here. If he fails in the second test, do you still persist with him?

Azhar Ali
Will be playing the second test, and if he fails, what will his future be career wise? Will he still be selected as per norm? Will he use SA home tests as a farewell series? Will he retire all together after this NZ series? One thing's for sure, he's no where near what he used to be.

Haris Sohail
Dude's not in form at all in the test arena + has major fitness issues (knee problems primarily). I believe he should be dropped for a player that has potential longevity in the test arena.

Mohammad Abbas
Low-key, a bit of an enigma for me. Insane economy but hardly any wickets. So despite being able to hold up one end, do you still drop him for not taking enough wickets? Me personally, if he's not taking wickets, I'd keep him for the holding job of an end and if he's failing at doing that, then replace him with someone else.

Yasir Shah
What's it gonna take for management to realize that Yasir's not a good SENA bowler? So many 'hundreds' this guy has scored. Keep him for Asian conditions, dude can't seem to figure out how to bowl and take wickets in SENA.

A lot will ride on how Pakistan play this next and final test.
 
Shoaibbtt said:
Clearly something Pakistan should look to work on, you have to be able to hold a bat. I mean Tabish Khan is a very decent tailender that i saw.
Click to expand...

Are you saying tabish should be in the squad/team if so who would you replace him with
 
Saj said:
Pakistan were so close to squeezing out a draw in the 1st Test against New Zealand.

However it wasn't to be.

Where did it go wrong?
Click to expand...

U can rattle on a few dozen reasons from the pak side.
However imho as a indian neutral observer - NZ showed more hunger, intensity, heart for a fight, passion to succeed on 90/100 occasions - and Wagner doing what he did simply acted as catalyst. You can see it in the way they threw themselves in fielding on all days.
When you marry naked courage and determination to inherent skillset and mindsets-u generally get the results u want. That's not to say pak did not show the same attributes- i thought pak put up a good display considering the absence of BA
but Hagley oval @ Chch will offer much more bounce, seam and swing - ur young pace guns stand a better chance there. Will be interesting....
 
shamaan said:
Are you saying tabish should be in the squad/team if so who would you replace him with
Click to expand...

Look brother my strategy is why not play to win? I would've loved SA to play a tour game and he would've been trialed against them.

I certainly would consider replacing Naseem or Sohail with Tabish, i mean why not if you are fit. Who knows the conditions of Karachi/Rawalpindi better than Tabish/Nauman Ali/Sajid Khan. I reckon some local players could give them a tough time and have to say that SA doesn't seem like that threatening force it used to be.

In terms of spinners you are spoilt for choice in Sajid Khan/Nauman Ali/Zahid Mehmood/Kashif Bhatti.

In terms of pacers though in the end as a safe choice i would maybe opt for Hasan Ali despite me not doubting Tabish would play long spells. The main weapon on the Karachi pitches will be the spinners as oppose to pacers.
 
That fawad Alam couldn't save the match just like Asad useless shafiq used to do once in a blue moon.I m sure he will go missing in many upcoming matches and when there will talk of him dropping he will score a 50 in last match of the series.This fawad guy just like Asad useless shafiq is gonna be nightmare for Pakistan in the long run.
 
Azhar Ali Abid Ali Shan Masood fawad Alam they all are useless should be dumped as soon as possible.I hope all of these fail in next match
 
It went wrong even before the team took to the field. Too many duds were selected and NZ were always going to win after the conclusion of the 1st inns.

I went to sleep when Fawad and Riz were batting deep into day 5. Waking up to find they had lost was no big surprise to me.
 
Last edited:
Shoaibbtt said:
Look brother my strategy is why not play to win? I would've loved SA to play a tour game and he would've been trialed against them.

I certainly would consider replacing Naseem or Sohail with Tabish, i mean why not if you are fit. Who knows the conditions of Karachi/Rawalpindi better than Tabish/Nauman Ali/Sajid Khan. I reckon some local players could give them a tough time and have to say that SA doesn't seem like that threatening force it used to be.

In terms of spinners you are spoilt for choice in Sajid Khan/Nauman Ali/Zahid Mehmood/Kashif Bhatti.

In terms of pacers though in the end as a safe choice i would maybe opt for Hasan Ali despite me not doubting Tabish would play long spells. The main weapon on the Karachi pitches will be the spinners as oppose to pacers.
Click to expand...

Am sure every team plays to win brother.i would replace naseem with hassan.tabish should replace abbas as they are both similar.as for your spinners i would go with gohar with Sajid khan.zahid khan went at more than 4 rpo and nuaman is 34 i think
 
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