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Can Pakistan bounce back from their 211-run hammering at the hands of the mighty South Africans in the first Test?
South African commentator Mike Haysman certainly does not believe so and says Misbah-ul-Haq's men are already accounted for.
Pakistan will obviously be looking to prove otherwise, but it seems former players and experts are unanimous in expressing reservations about their chances. To add to their misery, Haysman believes the pitch at Newlands, Cape Town, will be of a similar nature to the one in Johannesburg.
Haysman has cited Pakistan's lack of preparation to play in South African conditions as the biggest and most obvious reason for their capitulation.
“Nothing surprised me and yet again Pakistan's application and planning was questionable. Their preparation to bat against that [South Africa's] attack and technique was not good enough,” Haysman said in an interview with SuperSport.
Pakistan have a long lay-off before the second Test starts and will play a two-day practice game against a Western Province Invitational XI in Cape Town on February 10 and 11.
“We will try and get more practice in around the new ball. If you can get through the new ball then I think we can score runs in South African conditions. It is about applying yourself and getting good starts,” Misbah told reporters.
Pakistan's second innings total of 268 on Monday gave the tourists some reason to be cheerful off the back of their record Test low of 49 in their first effort with the bat.
Haysman, too, believes Pakistan can do better in the second Test but has warned the South Africans will be even more lethal on the Newlands surface.
“South Africa will want to continue pressure Pakistan...they will ensure the track is lively in Cape Town. Not so much bounce, but certainly swing and seam.”
But the South African added that realistically 'Pakistan had no chance of winning a Test' on this tour.
Pakistan coach Dav Whatmore, however, urged his players to be positive in the face of the South African attack.
Asked whether the team would carry forward any psychological scars from the first innings capitulation on day two, Whatmore said the players have accepted the circumstances and have moved on.
“I would like to think it does not do too much psychological damage,” he said.
“You try to look at the facts and not get too emotional about it.”
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Comments (66) Closed
Feb 06, 2013 10:21pm
Forget about Mohd Yousuf he is no more interested in playing cricket, There is not much difference between Sarfraz and Adnan Akmal but Sarfraz is younger then Adnan and have better current domestic record then Adnan.
I still beleive this batting side is best and one inning failure does not mean they are bad. So stick with the same batting combination for the time being.
As far is bowling is concerned I think Pakistan needs to play with 4 fast bowlers Gul, Junaid, Tanvir Ahmed and Aziz Cheema and drop Ajmal.
.
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Feb 06, 2013 08:45pm
Never.
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Feb 06, 2013 09:34pm
There is no fairness, over there in Pakistan. I don't think people at PCB want Mohammad Yousuf to come back. Similar is the case of Abdur Razak. Shame on PCB.
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Feb 06, 2013 08:46pm
Two Akmals only. How you forget the elder one.
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Feb 06, 2013 08:45pm
Pakistan will bounce back Akmal's are not needed
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Feb 06, 2013 08:41pm
Can India or Pakistan ever win a series in Aus & SA ? 140 Cr people of both countries knows only one game that is Cricket and from the last 60-65 years result is the same . I was really disappointed when Pak bundle out on 49 . Because I thought they have a very good bowling attack , then can turn that match some where . But bowling was toothless ( may be due to inexperience attack ) . First time ever I watched test match of Pakistan . As an Indian was happy ( just kidding ) but as a cricket lover was dejected by the batting tech of Pak players ( That was even poor than Raina , Yuvraj but better than Gambhir ) . Now only God can save Pakistan . Nothing to ashamed of it's old story of India and Pakistan .
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Feb 06, 2013 08:32pm
Prayers yes, Afridi no.
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Feb 06, 2013 08:31pm
He would definitely be better than Younus.
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Feb 08, 2013 07:19am
Mr. Ahmed needs to do his homework in the right earnest because, except for Hanif and his brother Mushtaq, none of the other players were even in the Test team.at that time. Moreover, why are we forgetting the supposedly strong team of the early 70s who was blown away by the Australians, especially the YOYO (swing) bowler, Bob Massey? Now, let's be real; once in a while such things are bound to happen to most teams. So, we should move forward and renew our pledge to improve on our bad performances......right?
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Feb 06, 2013 08:30pm
The current wicket keeper did a wonderful job behind the wickets.
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Feb 06, 2013 08:30pm
Not only Pakistan, all South Asian batsmen struggle overseas because the pitches are so different. Weather can not be controlled, however can ICC look into the idea of introducing an artificial surface, not exactly like astroturf used for field hockey but something more suitable for cricket ? So that there is some consistency in pitches all over the world. we have rank turners in subcontinent and fast and bouncy pitches in AUS and SA.
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Feb 06, 2013 07:57pm
Already a pschological warfare going on? Looks like it. Well, not that the Pakistanis' dismal showing in the first outing is going to be easily forgotten, it is still a very motivated outfit there. However, the need for a BATTING COACH can't be overemphasised at this juncture, especially in view of the potential challenge being thrown by the Proteas in terms of pitch conditions (Haysman's forecast for Cape Town) as well as the psychological undercurrent at the moment. Anyway, let's talk reality as there is hardly anything further than could be done in terms of the contingent. MORE PREPARATION AND MORE PREPARATION with lots of mutual discussions and planning on the part of the team as well as the management is a MUST. Good luck for the next two Test, Pakistan!
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Feb 06, 2013 08:03pm
Pakistan needs a genuine wicker keeper, not half wicket-keeper half batsman. The problem is in the batting, new bowlers cannot defend a total of 49 runs.
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Feb 07, 2013 12:46pm
Mohammad yousaf is the best batsman in the world , but unfortunately Pakistan cricket board does not understand about cricket the only capable yousaf can still perform at any level of cricket .
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Feb 06, 2013 07:45pm
Adnan is by no means a bonafide batsman and his innings of significance have all come on subcontinent type pitches, he too woulda followed suit in Johannesburg. Sarfraz is a more gritty player and better wicket keeper. As far as Umar goes, i agree he should actually replace Younis Khan b'c i think Younis Khan is done, time has caught up to him just like Tendulkar and Ponting.
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Feb 06, 2013 07:44pm
this is the worst suggestion I have ever seen. Umar Akmal cannot survive on a dead pitche even if his life depended on it and Sarfaraz is a better keeper than A.Akmal.
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Feb 07, 2013 01:47pm
We should ask mama Akmal and papa Akmal to make more Akmals so that we can have Akmals eleven playing for Pakistan. We will not win a game but will be able to pay off all of Pakistan debts.
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Feb 07, 2013 01:16pm
Bring Afridi back to test team
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Feb 07, 2013 12:40pm
ok- we were all out for 49. Pk have done quite well in last few series. 1 failure doesn't mean we need to change everything
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Feb 06, 2013 06:52pm
Get Mohammad Yousuf back.He is still best batsmen in the Pakistan team.
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Feb 06, 2013 06:17pm
Why should mike haysman be allowed to cite his vicious comment!
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Feb 07, 2013 01:42pm
Current wicket keeper is a genuine wicketkeeper, who did an excellent job in last test. And with him you don't take a chance of spot fixing as with Akmal brothers.
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Feb 08, 2013 01:20am
So where do A Deviliers,South Africa wicket keeper,Matts Prior England wicket keeper,Sri Lanka Keeper Sangarka,PJwayvardene,Indian keeper MS Dhoni stand.They all are one of best batsman of their team and keeping is equally upto the mark.Now where does Pakistan stand on this?
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Feb 07, 2013 04:38pm
Yes, you did not give us a good batting practice. Your less than mediocre bowlers made our batsmen lethargic.... Here you go..
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Feb 07, 2013 11:12am
The problem with Pakistan is that it is a known fact that the batting is a big problem, but the PCB finds no reason to appoint a batting coach, especially on such a long tour.
The PCB also must wok into the future and have a batting acedemy set up with expert batting coaches.
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Feb 07, 2013 11:26am
There is an old japanese saying, " All battles are won or lost before a single bullet is fired" It is all in the mind first and foremost. Look at the body language and in the eyes of S. African and Australian players when they play. They feel superior, which makes them do the right things to even turn a losing game around. When we perform badly, the general attitude since the days of mullah Inzi seems to be that to fix any problem, is to take two inshallahs and call the doctor in the morning. We have heard
ad nauseum about coaching, swing and bounce abroad. Remember the tour of England of 1962 . Team led by Javed Burki. They said at the time that it is the best team yet to tour England. ( Saleem Altaf, Majid Khan, Asif Iqbal , Intikhab, Mushtaq and Hanif Mohammed etc, etc. and look at the hammering they got. That was 50 years ago, and they are still trying to figure out how to handle swing and bounce. Do you still think our team will learn any time soon?? Keep dreaming .
Ah , Coaching- Did any of you who have played cricket ever see a coach? In other countries, they start coaching at age 10 in all sports at school level all the way up. Our players first see a coach when they are already in the national side. It is too late, you cannot teach an old dog new tricks.
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Feb 07, 2013 12:28pm
On the day, even 8 batsmen would have struggled the way SA bowled. Its unlikely that PK will win a match, but they need to show that at least they can put up a bit of resistance. Its not the loss thats hurts, its the matter in which its done. 49 is not a score for a team that we had higher hopes on.
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Feb 06, 2013 04:51pm
Paklistan need to add Aizaz Cheema and Tanvir Ahmed along with Umar Akmal,Adnan Akmal to the squad.Sarfaraz Ahmed making one batsman short and Tanvir Ahmed will prolong Pakistan batting.Umar Akmal technique is there to survive in South African condition and i see no reason why Adnan Akmal should be left out .
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Feb 07, 2013 11:06am
Hahaha Datz his Job dude...He is a commentrator...
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Feb 07, 2013 10:47am
Fen, is your last name Akmal by any chance?
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Feb 06, 2013 05:55pm
at least we need akmal brothers back PLEASE,PLEASE
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Feb 08, 2013 09:18am
Pakistan can only do better if they play positively. They should score runs and not go in to the shell. Open with Azhar Ali and Jamshed as Hafiz has the least ability to score in swinging conditions. Irfan must be included as his inclusion can give South Africa.something to think about. Said Ajmal should be replaced with Rehman too.
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Feb 08, 2013 09:29am
There was a time when a number of pakistani batsmen used to play county cricket which gave them ample chances to learn playing in swinging conditions. But now there is no one and thats why even the best batsman like younis looks to be a tail-ender. I see only one person able to negate south african bowlers and that is Nasir Jamshed.
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Feb 06, 2013 05:48pm
Unfortunately, thats what wisdom tells us. No rocket-science here. We need to fix the domestic infrastructure to consistently perform overseas. Specially from batting perspective ...
Shahryar
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Feb 07, 2013 12:36pm
If you have a "genuine" keeper, you lose a batsman.
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Feb 07, 2013 12:37pm
kindly let us know on what basis you people did not show our comments.
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Feb 07, 2013 04:55pm
Mr Osama,
Its very easy to say Insha Allah everytime after loosing. Allah almighty helps them who help themselves. Please come out of your moulvi-ism and start thinking practically. Yes, Allah will help Pakistan only when ehn will work hard and will start showing their potential. There is no doubt that above article reflects a harsh but a true reality of our team's poor performance.
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Feb 06, 2013 05:37pm
Pakistan needs Afridi and prayers. hahha.
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Feb 07, 2013 12:25pm
Because everyone is allowed an opinion
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Feb 06, 2013 11:13pm
Pakistan lost because of their careless batting.. InSHAllah they need to be careful for batting against stronger seamers... Pakistan players's fitness needs to be improve and their seamer technique.. I feel if Mohammad Amir is there maybe Pakistan win because his swinging and fast are amazing.. InSHAllah Pakistan will beat South Africa...
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Feb 07, 2013 01:32am
the only way Pakistan may win is by Fixing.
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Feb 07, 2013 01:39am
He is right about his assessment of Pakistan's chances. Lets face it these batsmen just do not have the technique , footwork or the temperament to play fast/swing bowling. You just can't become a Wimbledon champion in the tournament . They will be lucky if they can draw just one test. And those Akmal fans ..pls get your heads out of your orifices pls ...its high time .. that Akmal dropped 2-3 catches every innings and missed at least 2-3 stumps every game . In batting maybe he averaged 30 at the lost of 200 runs from the opponents .. what sane person .. can see any advantage of the Akmals ...perhaps some degreed intelectual from Lums l !!
Mike
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Feb 07, 2013 08:11pm
Rizwan definitely you seem to be match fixer Pakistani living in USA,why would somebody disturb winning combination and change into loser.Match fixers are involved in changing winning combination.
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Feb 07, 2013 02:45am
Mike Haysman is an uncultured person. He contniously called Mohammad Irfan a Giant during the first test commentary. What should we call him for his BAKWAS. Mike Haysman you should be ashamed of yourself and apologise to Irfan publicly during the next test match commentary.
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Feb 07, 2013 07:30pm
Australia was bowled out for 47 and New Zealand for 45 just a few months ago, both teams fell victim to South African bowling in South Africa. On a lighter note, Pakistan outscored Australia by 2 and New Zealand by 4 runs. It is not that Australian and Kiwi batsmen were also new to swing pace and bounce like the Pakistani team is, it is just the stupendous quality of bowling superior mental conditioning of the SA attack that helped them achieve these incredible bowling figures. If we had Asif and Amir in our team we would have seen SA batsman not cross 100 on this pitch as well ... guaranteed!!
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Feb 07, 2013 04:10am
Why do people keep talking about Akmal brothers? Did you not see their performance on docile Indian pitches just very recently?! and all the other matches!
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Feb 07, 2013 05:31am
After a long time, we got rid of Akmal brothers then why u people again calling him back in team. no need for them and Sarfraz Ahmed should be given atleast as much chances as Akmal brothers were given despite poor performances
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Feb 07, 2013 06:06am
It is was expected and this happened. We had no planning for this tour, why we did not include a leg spinner in this squad? I do not think that Azhar Ali is capable of handling the pressure at one down position. We relied on our fast bowling even knowing that they can play the fast bowlers well, this is ridiculous, how can we hit them with their favourite mode of play :(
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Feb 07, 2013 06:10am
It was expected and it happened. We went there without any planning. Why we did not include a leg spinner in the squad? We know that they can play the fast bowling well and i do not think that we can damage them with our fast bowling attack. We relied on their favourite mode of play and now we are badly trapped. In batting i do not think that Azhar Ali can handle the pressure at one down position. Haysman is absolutely right in what he said. I think we will not win even a single test in this series. :(
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Feb 07, 2013 06:28am
I see an Indian hand in this..... what say...
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Feb 07, 2013 06:31am
There you go again.........Akmal brothers lovers...........those who wants akmal brothers back tells me one thing........you guys no nothing about cricket. Instead of dragging these over spent players.........give chance to the new talent and let them fall because they will rise again .....young blood has tendency to take more beating than these over spent and over rated players............I would say put the new blood and let them fail because it will give them the hunger to strike back...............but i am sure by reading comments here.........most of you are missing on that..............knee jerk reaction is to get these over rated players.........God help us in every department of life from these type of mentality..............
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Feb 07, 2013 06:36am
Sadly, Mike Haysman is right!
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Feb 07, 2013 06:41am
Wicketkeeper can't be responsible for a side getting out for 49. So leave the young & deserving keeper alone. He kept brilliantly & certainly we shouldn't be quoting what Mike is saying. We need a good opening start. One good partnership & horrors of 49 will be forgotten.
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Feb 07, 2013 06:51am
huh? why all of a sudden the lime light is on the keeper?
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Feb 07, 2013 06:23pm
I agree, and don't forget Abdul-Razzaq. Both of these players can be asset for Pakistan Test Team. We need people with talent and experience.
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Feb 07, 2013 06:55am
are you related to Akmal trio? they are the worst blackmailers in the history of Cricket.
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Feb 07, 2013 07:05am
only mohammad yousuf need for test matches
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Feb 07, 2013 09:48am
Mike Haysman is originally an Australian, now residing in South Africa.
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Feb 07, 2013 02:44pm
I agree - In test series this will be a 3-0 debacle.
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Feb 07, 2013 07:42am
because he has the right to do so in a free and democratic South Africa which is not like Zardari's Banana republic
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Feb 08, 2013 12:53pm
I miss 92 world cup Pakistan team.
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Feb 07, 2013 08:15am
Play another batsman in place of third seamer. That is, drop Rahat Ali and enter Taufeeq Umar. I think, Pakistan team management (includes coach, captain and professors) failed to properly strategies for the first Test. The SA strategy worked. They attacked our batsmen. They were concerned about Pakistan strength in bowling, (obvious change of technique while playing Saeed Ajmal) but they capitalized on Pakistan's weak batting.
Now, for Capetown. Its another game. Just apply Misbah's TUK TUK policy, at least for the first 20 overs. It works! Even, SA batting started very slowly. Good Luck for Second Test. Go Pakistan team!
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Feb 08, 2013 02:34pm
What a pessimist you are !!! Have you ever heard of the saying ... if you dont have anything good to say then stay quiet? One loss and all of a sudden this much negativity? I am a die hard fan and will always "believe" !!! I am sure Pakistan cricket and can do without your kind of fans. Peace.
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Feb 07, 2013 08:57am
We will see....
PS: choking comes at the end and not at the start.
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Feb 07, 2013 09:14am
i want to know on what criteria you did not show my comments?
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Feb 07, 2013 03:42pm
My friend cricket is game of uncertainty.We know that our players are used to play swing and bounce.You should also know that we are fighter.If our player specially seniors play to their potential then they can prove you wrong.Pakistani batsmen have to play positive cricket.Shots selection are very important.They should try to play each ball at its merit.Loose ball should be punished.Match Temperment and ability to stay at the wicket is also important.I urged Misbah to learn rotate the strike instead of blocking every ball.Go green and prove pundit wrong. you have the ability face the situation with courage.
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