PAKISTANI batsmen’s fear of the moving ball and lack of skill to cope with it was once again on display here on the second day of Ireland’s historic debut Test on Saturday. Their top-order batting faltered badly against the hosts and, had it not been for a sensibly carved innings by diminutive Asad Shafiq of 62, Pakistan would not have survived the day.

Asad looked set for a hundred but then holed out to short square leg. With the entire top and middle order back in the pavilion, Pakistan were poorly placed at 159-6. At the time of filing this report, a bright, positive stand between Shadab Khan and debut-making all-rounder Fahim Ashraf was taking shape.

Also read: Pakistan welcomes end of isolation from international cricket

The pre-lunch and post-lunch sessions was not the kind of performance which Pakistan’s supporters expected after their team was put in by Ireland. The affect of a high number of one-dayers and T20s played by Pakistan in the recent times clearly showed in their performance. Most of the batsmen, it appeared, tried to hit their way out as is the norm in the shorter formats, while a Test match requires patience, skill and endurance which they clearly lacked on Saturday.

Dismissal of the openers Azhar Ali and the debutant Imam-ul-Haq was a great start for Ireland in their debut Test and they applied pressure with their consistently attacking bowling. They proved that even an experienced Test playing nation could be put in a perilous state for being too casual with the bat as we watched the Pakistan batting crumble.

It is of utmost importance for any match, be it a Test or a game of short format, to have a good start. Pakistan openers did not ensure that and as a result, wickets fell at regular intervals.

Offering a Test cap to Imam and leaving out an experienced opener Sami Aslam, who did so well against England on his last tour, was a brave step but that does not give any confidence to a young player to establish himself.

The uncertainty always creeps in and that is one of the reason why we have not been able to have a proper Test team or a combination of players who could perform at this level.

Both Azhar and Asad have matured as batsmen because they have been provided consistent opportunity at the Test level. Had Shan Masood and Sami Aslam been trusted as openers on regular basis the problem would have been solved long time ago.

It takes some time to establish. Not everyone is in the same class as Zaheer Abbas, Javed Miandad, Inzamam-ul Haq or Mohammad Yousuf. To come anywhere near them, one needs to perform and kept faith in.

Babar Azam is a fine player at limited overs level and could become a fine Test player if he realised the importance of it and was groomed to be one by men of experience. His dismissal on Saturday had nothing to do with the moving ball off Tim Murtagh. It was his lack of footwork that undid him at a crucial juncture of the innings.

Batsmen of his type or for that matter Asad, Azhar, Sarfraz Ahmed or Haris Sohail need to still learn to play long innings to be remembered as Test batsmen of some calibre.

Nonetheless, all credit to the Ireland bowlers Murtagh, Boyd Rankin and the rest to make the day memorable for themselves, bowling a good line to keep the pressure on the batsmen on the second day to make the game interesting — at least as long as it lasts — until any further interruption by rain.

Published in Dawn, May 13th, 2018