ONE of the most fascinating aspects of cricket is that it is also a great leveller. One day you find yourself on top of the world if everything goes right for you while on the other day you dive deep into a steep slope when things start to fall away if you fail to adapt to the existing conditions.

Pakistan’s batting demise close to the stroke of tea here on the first day of the second Test was a mixture of failures of various technicalities which may be a point of argument when analysing their innings which for most of its part lacked in control once they were faced with a disappointing start.

Whether Sarfraz Ahmed should have chosen to bat or bowl first could be a matter of debate but I for one with an unpredictable line-up with the bat would have preferred to put the opposition in because of the way our bowlers have been able to perform so far.

And also for the fact where Lord’s had a low-bounce pitch and very much to the liking of Pakistan batsmen, the Headingley track with a drier texture looked different. And when Pakistan batsmen took their guards to face James Anderson, Stuart Broad and company the obvious bounce and lift in the wicket added with the movement off the pitch made things cumbersome to handle.

No wonder then the England seamers used the conditions to their liking to bowl Pakistan out cheaply.

Azhar Ali needs to stay still in the crease till the bowler releases the ball. His too much movement while facing bowlers does not serve him well. Asad Shafiq however looked the part but then again one loose attempt to negotiate the ball cost him his wicket.

What is most worrying for Pakistan’s batting is the fact that Sarfraz, who although is doing a good job behind the wicket, has not been able to make runs of which he is very much capable of and has shown that in the past in all formats.

To keep a balance between bat and ball it is important to bowl with as much seriousness as when batting in the middle. In a collapse it is important to check your favourite shots unless well settled especially when playing a Test.

But within the debris of Pakistan collapse the shining light was once again young Shadab Khan who in the process of his third half-century in four Tests did expose the frailties of English bowling. The right-hander played handsomely to post a fighting 56 which not only showed a lot of maturity in his makeup but also a promise for the future of an all-round cricketer.

The gutsy cricketer does have this flair to control a fledgling innings by putting his head down and then choosing the right ball to dispatch through the gaps. Other youngsters like Hasan Ali and Faheem Ashraf too have this natural ability.

But it is important for the men in the frontline batting to adapt to the conditions to give the rest down the order a feeling of security. That is where the Pakistan batsmen were found wanting on Friday.

Joe Root’s desperate team, having lost the first Test comprehensively, now seem determined to redeem their pride against a young and inexperienced Pakistan.

The wicket sandy in texture appeared to be settling down as the afternoon progressed leaving the Pakistan seamers with a task at hand.

Published in Dawn, June 2nd, 2018