KARACHI: Veteran all-rounder Abdul Razzaq has blamed Pakistan’s Test debacle in South Africa on overconfidence of the players, saying that the team’s batsmen were just not prepared for the formidable bowling attack of the Proteas.

“I think overconfidence was the primary reason for our defeats,” Razzaq said while speaking to a leading TV channel on Monday.

Razzaq, who was ignored for the South Africa series despite his vast experience, said Pakistan after faring well in Tests in the last two years in the UAE, Sri Lanka besides giving good performance against India in limited-overs games in their backyard, were not prepared for the conditions in South Africa.

“I thought they were a bit overconfident about this series after doing well in the last two years against most teams. Unfortunately, they were not ready for the intimidating bowling of the South African pacers and that caught them off-guard,” said Razzaq.

The seasoned all-rounder said it was Pakistan’s bad luck that none of their top players managed to perform well in the Test series. He added that another reason for the debacle was the absence of experienced players in the team.

“When I went to South Africa for the first time I had senior players like Wasim, Waqar, Inzamam, Rashid Latif, Moin Khan and Saeed Anwar to guide me and I did well there by reducing my backlift. On this tour, unfortunately, the team missed the experienced players,” he pointed out.

Razzaq lamented that the few experienced players in the side namely Younis Khan, Misbah-ul-Haq and Umar Gul could not lead by example to inspire the youngsters which was disappointing for everyone.

“Gul couldn’t play the third Test and it was hard on the three new bowlers to play together against a top team like South Africa. When you blood new bowlers it must be in the presence of other experienced bowlers in the side. So I don’t blame the bowlers and the same rule applies for batting,” he said.

Former captain Aamir Sohail said Pakistan went into the series unprepared for the demands of the longest form of the game.

“It was predicted,” Aamir said. “South Africa were well equipped while we are not doing things needed (for Test cricket) and are paying the price.”

Aamir, also a former chief selector, said Pakistan needed to take measures at the grassroots level.

“When a youngster emerges he has technical faults which we are not removing while South Africa have followed Australia in conquering the world with their work,” he said.

Rashid Latif, another former captain, urged Pakistan to focus more on Tests.

“Pakistan must have separate players for Tests and one-dayers,” said Rashid. “Some players feel they are suitable for all three forms but their poor show in Tests is affecting the team’s performance.”

Some fans in the street said Pakistan should only play one-day matches and Twenty20s.—Agencies