The Pakistan cricket team is facing a storm of criticism after a humiliating defeat in the recent Test series against Bangladesh. The team’s performance in both matches was far from satisfactory, with the bowlers in particular coming under fire. These losses have dealt a significant blow to Pakistan’s hopes of qualifying for the World Test Championship final.
Former Pakistan fast bowler Yasir Arafat has expressed his frustration with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), calling for a greater emphasis on red-ball cricket preparation. He criticizes the PCB’s decision to prioritize the Champions Cup, a one-day tournament, despite the upcoming Test series against England. Arafat believes the focus should be on preparing for the crucial series against England, which begins on October 7th in Multan. He highlights the need for addressing fitness, technique, and pitch-related concerns, and questions the timing of the ODI tournament.
“Your grey areas have been highlighted. Fitness issues, technique issues, and pitches. Today I heard Jason Gillespie and the high-performance coach are going back to Australia. You are conducting an ODI tournament. These decisions I don’t understand. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is a circus,” Arafat said on YouTube. “There are jokers in that, and this is a joke. You have a Test series against England coming up, and you are bringing players for ODIs. Shan Masood is saying in a press conference that our players have not played first-class cricket for 1.5 years. You have a big series against England coming up, and you are playing ODIs. This looks like a circus to me. The people who are working are jokers, and their decisions are jokes.”
Adding to the concerns, reports suggest that the PCB is exploring alternative venues like Sri Lanka or the UAE to host the Test series against England.
Pakistan captain Shan Masood has acknowledged the team’s struggles in Test cricket, attributing them to a lack of experience among domestic players in red-ball cricket. He emphasizes the need for greater exposure to this format, stating that the team’s performance is directly impacted by the limited experience of its players in red-ball cricket.
“Bangladesh have two players who have played 70-90 Tests (Shakib Al Hasan and Mushfiqur Rahman), and Litton [Das] and Mehidy [Hasan Miraz] have played close to 40. We need the same level of red-ball exposure. Test cricket is the ultimate format of the game. You need experience. We need more Test and red-ball cricket,” Masood said. “Whatever format you play is the format for which you’ll produce players. You can’t play more T20 cricket and get Test players. You can’t prepare for science and then sit for a maths exam. If you’re being tested for maths, you study maths. To play red-ball cricket, you must play red-ball cricket.”
With the England series looming, the Pakistan cricket team faces immense pressure to turn things around. The focus now shifts to addressing the team’s weaknesses and ensuring proper preparation to avoid a repeat of the recent Bangladesh debacle.
