In an extraordinary sequence of events, the Pakistan cricket team found themselves again at the end of receiving. The Men in Green got humbled in all the 3 facets of the game & had a forgettable outing with the bat in hand in the 3rd Test match. The side under the leadership of Babar Azam was brutally exposed, as a lot of eyebrows have been raised over the team’s dynamics. Babar Azam‘s body language can be said wasn’t fiery & field placements were a bit questionable.
The Men in Green are in all sorts of trouble; at the end of Day 2, the Men in Green’s score is 52 for the loss of 2 wickets & the end of Day 2 after yet another dismal performance with both bat & ball. Pakistan is trailing by 268 runs after a herculean effort by England’s batters, who scored 453 in 89 overs. Let’s see what have been the potential key reasons for Pakistan’s shocking downfall in the 3rd Test match as well as the whole series.
Concerns over team selections
After a dreadful performance in the first 2 Test matches, PCB from nowhere sent 7 players back to Pakistan, which was a bitter pill to swallow for the whole cricket fraternity. Mike Hesson & Ashley Nofke (*bowling coach) were called up for the 3rd Test match & regular head coach Sarfaraz Khan was sidelined along with bowler Umar Gul.
We can say that, directly or indirectly, a panic button was pressed by PCB’s Mohsin Naqvi & management. Even Babar Azam wasn’t aware of the sacking of 7 players, which he admitted openly in a press conference, which is quite fishy. It is often said that the skipper has absolute control over the team selection. In this case, it seems that perhaps Babar Azam is playing very smart to avoid any further controversies.
Questionable tactics from Babar Azam
Pakistan’s performance has been a bit below par. It seems like they are lacking the flair to compete. Unknowingly or knowingly, the entire blame comes on skipper Babar Azam. Shockingly, Pakistan have bowled 34 no-balls in 4 innings so far throughout the series, which is mind-boggling. It somewhat raises questions about the coaching staff & skipper Babar Azam, who seem not to be working on the basics of the game, as bowling a no-ball is considered a crime in cricket irrespective of format.
Such a sort of incident somewhat takes us back to the 2010 England vs Pakistan Test series, where chaos had happened in the series. It is somewhat believed that the architect behind the whole no-ball fiasco was the then skipper Salman Butt. Due to which, the speedsters Mohammad Asif & Mohammad Aamir, along with Salman, were banned from 5 years of sport for spot fixing. This incident shook Pakistan cricket very deeply.
What lies ahead for Babar Azam & Co
Babar Azam hasn’t been able to dictate the terms with the bat in hand. Pakistani skipper has amassed 21 runs in 3 innings, which isn’t great. The batter has looked in two minds about whether to attack or defend, due to which he has gone into his shell, we can say. Babar Azam should be held accountable for the performance of the bowlers as well; we have seen the legendary Virat Kohli & Steven Smith, Pat Cummins along with Joe Root & Kane Williamson, who bring the best out of the bowlers in tough conditions with tactical changes & aggression.
Babar Azam should be questioned for the lacklustre performance of the whole team as well. It is often said that winning & losing is part & parcel of the game, but not fighting is unacceptable in modern cricket at all. This whole thing might be on the radar of the ICC’s Anti-Corruption unit, as it’s a bit tough nut to crack given 34 no-balls have been bowled so far.
We can say that the bowling unit of Pakistan was inexperienced & might have succumbed to pressure but 34 is a bit too many in 4 innings, which raises unwanted questions. Only time will tell what was actually happening in the Pakistan cricket team but as of now it seems that the inside story of the team isn’t promising at all. Pakistan is once again a part of unnecessary controversy, as such things most likely hamper & tarnish the reputation of their team, which has a good pedigree.
Also Read:Â ENG vs PAK: Basit Ali’s Explosive Take On Babar Azam & Shaheen Afridi