Pakistan were humiliated on the final day of the third and deciding cricket Test against New Zealand in Abu Dhabi. Pakistan were chasing a target of 280 runs in 79 overs with an average of just 3.54 runs per over but due to irresponsible batting they crumbled to 156 all out in 56.1 overs.
Thus pathetic Pakistan batting offered the New Zealanders their first-ever away series win in 49 years. Kiwis’ last away series win against Pakistan was back in 1969.
One can’t blame the pitch for Pakistan’s batting collapse as on the same track a bit earlier in the morning New Zealand batsmen had plundered 81 runs in 9 overs in only 45 minutes.
Pakistan batsmen were themselves responsible for this poor showing while chasing a not so difficult target.
They panicked and never looked determined going for the runs and victory. Rather they succumbed to pressure and in the process played shaky and irresponsible strokes which ultimately swung things New Zealand’s way.
Instead of going for the runs to keep Kiwi bowlers under pressure and see the scoreboard moving, Pakistan batsmen — top order in particular — buckled under tremendous pressure to finally lose the decider, and of course the series.
Had two or three top-order batsmen adjusted themselves according to the conditions, as Babar Azam did, Pakistan could have made a match out of it. But God knows when Pakistan batsmen will learn to play under pressure and avoid such humiliations.
Similarly head coach Mickey Arthur is equally responsible for what is going on with Pakistan batting. If one remembers, Pakistan had met a similar fate, though in a thriller, when they lost the opening Test of this three-match Test series at the same Abu Dhabi stadium. It is really a worrying sign for Pakistan batting as it all happened against those New Zealand spinners who were not much experienced in the Test arena.
With veteran Mohammad Hafeez finally quitting Test cricket, Pakistan now have the South African challenge ahead. Let us hope that things will improve at least during the South African tour and Pakistan front-liners will learn to stay at the wicket so that lower order comes under less pressure.
Now with Shan Masood having been recalled to the squad for the forthcoming Test series against the Proteas, only time will tell how along with other openers Imamul Haq and Fakhar Zaman he will lead from the front.
Meanwhile, keeping in view the dismal showing of the Pakistan batters, experts have put a question mark over the performance of the team’s batting coach, Grant Flower. Head coach Mickey Arthur is equally responsible for what is going on with Pakistan’s batting.
One fails to understand what is the logic behind having these imported foreign coaches for the national team. Pakistan have legends like Majid Khan, Zaheer Abbas and Javed Miandad besides a number of others who are capable of guiding Pakistan batsmen better but their services are not being utilised by the Pakistan Cricket Board high-ups perhaps for personal whims.