Re: Pakistan vs South Africa 3rd Test
The bowlers and fielders were not the damn problem, they put up an admirable fight despite inexperience. It is the batting, it has always been the batting. We have to rectify this by sending our best youngsters to England, Australia and South Africa. Perhaps more A tours would help the likes of Azhar, Asad, Umar Amin, Haris Sohail & Nasir in the long-term.
Even better, make green pitches at home. The climate in SA and Australia is hot just like the sub-continent so if they can produce seaming and bouncy tracks then why can’t we? And if soil is the issue then why can’t we just import it. Flat tracks will not help against the likes of South Africa and Australia.
Our opening problems are well-documented. Hafeez is not a genuine test opener. Even in the ODIs, I see him more as a bowling all-rounder who can make some runs upfront. But I think what’s really upsetting the balance of the side is the fact that:
A- our wicket-keeper cannot bat ((admittedly Adnan is no Gilchrist, DeVilliers or Dhoni (though he’s a better limited overs batsman. not sure what his record is in away tests) but preferring Sarfraz over him was a mistake, tinkering with an established test keeper was a mistake and I said it before the start of the series)) &
B- we lack a genuine test all-rounder at 7/8. It is easy to be wise after the event but perhaps Razzaq should have been selected. His bowling might have thrived on the fast SA tracks; more importantly he would have given us batting depth.
South African batsmen struggled in the first innings of all three tests (199/5, 109/5, 196/5) but because they have depth in batting (DeVilliers is a proper batsman, Peterson is a genuine all-rounder), they were able to dig themselves out of a hole in both the 2nd and 3rd tests.
To beat a team like South Africa, you have to score 600 runs (combined) in two innings. In Cape Town, Pakistan scored 338 in the first innings but only 169 in the 2nd. Had Pak made 250 (and I think that’s a very reasonable expectation), they might have won but would have still lost the series 2-1.
In ODIs you need to post 250+ totals regularly in order to compete with top teams like South Africa. I don’t think our current batsmen are quite capable of doing that, so I am not very positive about the ODIs either
However, Pakistan has a better chance in T20s because it’s a very short format
And yes not being able to play home games is hindering the development of our cricketers & hampering our chances of becoming a leading test nation. Pakistan need to restrict the amount of teams available in domestic cricket. 8 teams maximum imo (IK has been saying this for donkeys years), in order to reduce the amount of club level cricketers playing who provide an opportunity for genuine players to boost their stats.