Pakistan need to play fearlessly, says Jalaluddin

KARACHI: Former fast bowler Jalaluddin has said the defeat against Afghanistan is undoubtedly a catastrophic event in Pakistan cricketing history, but the team can still gel up as a selfless unit to save the country’s image. 

While talking to The News on Tuesday, Jalal said that Afghanistan played with big heart and outfoxed Pakistan both in the strategic and technical terms.

“Except for four overs when Shadab Khan and Iftikhar Ahmed batted well, the team looked out of sorts during the entire game be it batting, bowling or fielding,” Jalal, a PCB level 4 and ECB level 3 coach, said.

“But the players must take lessons from other teams who are doing well – that is by playing positive and aggressive cricket,” he added. “No doubt beating England, South Africa, and New Zealand will be a humongous task but one thing is clear: when we play wholeheartedly and in unison, we can transform our fortunes. But the old-school brand of cricket won’t make us win matches against such sides,” Jalal said.

"In the ongoing event where a score of even 350 is not a big deal, Pakistan’s main batters including Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan or Saud Shakeel haven’t been aggressive. And in today’s fast-paced cricket, such an approach doesn’t yield positive results.

“Pakistan’s team management will have to change their mindset. We have already lost three matches. A risk-taking approach is the only way forward. We have to come out of fear of playing aggressive shots. “Our bowling line looks fragile. We simply can’t win matches with such bowling.