Batting failure awakening call for PCB

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan batting nightmare on the bouncy and helpful tracks continues with the gap between professional and raw handling of required challenges on such tracks getting widened by each passing series.

South Africa cleaning up Pakistan in three-match series and helplessness of tourists batting line-up to match the home side is yet another awakening call for the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), its selectors and coaches.

It seems that Pakistan has not learnt anything from the past experience neither it seems they are willing to learn. Every new series in South Africa and Australia proving even worse for the Pakistan national team with no apparent cure seems insight.

Majority of batsmen who were exposed against well-versed South Africa bowling attack in the series either don’t know the professional way of handling the short pitch deliveries or were not told and trained that they were to confront with such bowling.

Barring Shan Masood who turned out to be the best of Pakistan batsman on the series, none other looked serious, comfortable and ready to meet the challenge.Imamul Haq, the nephew of Inzammaul Haq has already played ten Test matches without giving a clue of his abilities for a longer version. The opener who is one of those lucky faces in the Pakistan cricket who got the opportunity of playing Test without any notable contribution at the four-day domestic cricket, has so far gone without a century during his short but questionable Test exposure.

In six innings he has played on the tour, the opener managed just 149 runs with poor average of around 24 runs per innings. The limited over cricket and that of Test needs totally opposite handling and no one possibly knows it better than that of Inzamamul Haq. Instead of responsive pitches, you get easy pace tracks in one-day and T20 cricket. It is in Test matches that batsmen flaws and short comings come to the fore.

Technically speaking majority of Pakistan batsmen are not well equipped with playing rising and moving deliveries. What we have seen in South Africa in the just concluded Test series is a usual response of Pakistani batting line up in such conditions. No efforts have ever been made by the coaches at the junior level to work on the technique of batsmen. If at all effort was made, those handling the coaching at under-19 and under-16 level are not capable of delivering. Our neighbours India have deputed the best cricketing brains at the junior level.

Surprisingly, the PCB has never realised importance of junior cricket. Never in recent past, the board has deputed the best of brains with juniors and even their junior cricket programme is far from satisfactory. The result is obvious, we are continuing with the same breed of batsmen who are somewhat capable of playing on dull, slow tracks but never seem ready and eager of handling the pressure on bouncy and responsive tracks. These batsmen even were seen bowing down under pressure on their favourite tracks of UAE in recent times.