PAKISTAN’S cricket team prides itself on being number one in the world in T20 ranking, but it displayed deplorable performance against South Africa in two test matches. Pakistan has lost the test series and there are fears that we face a whitewash.

The dismal performance is a gruesome reminder of the fact that while we may be the top ranked team in T-20, we are novices in test matches.

Someone should tell them that test cricket is far more important than the T-20 format.

The team has lost two test series within a space of a month which is something to be concerned about. We cannot win test series in countries with characteristic bouncy pitches unless our batsmen learn how to play pace bowlers. Their poor performance further reinforces the perception that Pakistan is yet to recover from the retirement of Younis Khan and Misbahul Haq.

As a cricket lover I hope the recent defeats won’t go unnoticed and the players taken to task.

Naqeeb Hussain

Parachinar

(2)

AFTER small non-test match scores in the Centurion test which was lost inside three days and now the crushing defeat in Cape Town, much soul searching is in order.

The recent performance of the team in South Africa and earlier in the UAE, clearly indicates that we have a T20team mentality playing in test matches. In South Africa the added insult to injury is the inability to handle bounce on the pitch.

The baffling question: is it batting talent, is it coaching, is it the format of the game for our batting line up or something else?

Our bowling also showed some deterioration as it seems that our fast bowlers were losing steam. How many more mercurial performances and shocking defeats are required to goad cricket’s decision makers into realising something is amiss.

The T20 format is hurting the batsmen. It has ruined their solid temperamental quality to stay at the wicket. One is not suggesting, not playing in the T20 format but emphasising that they must learn how to improvise according to the format of the game. Or have two separate teams altogether one for T20 and the other for Test format. Our players should realise that the test format is the opposite of a T20game format.

Their recent performance calls for a return to the drawing board to deal with this matter and a sense of urgency should prevail.

Anas A Khan

Edmonton AB, Canada

Published in Dawn, January 8th, 2019