by: Atika Mehboob TN Sport Pakistan:
Pakistan’s quest for a historic Test victory in Australia remained unfulfilled, shattered by a humiliating 360-run defeat within four days at the picturesque Perth Stadium. Grappling with the aftermath of the debacle, Captain Shan Masood offered introspection rather than excuses, pinpointing both batting and bowling shortcomings as culprits for the collapse.
Chasing a mammoth 450, Pakistan’s batting collapsed like a house of cards, only managing to score a meager 89 runs in 30.2 overs. Acknowledging the underperformance, Masood admitted they could have “batted a bit quicker” in the first innings, adding crucial runs that could have narrowed the gap and kept the contest alive.
In the post-match ceremony, the South paw said: “When you come here, you look for progress. If you told us at the start of the Test that Australia would play 110 overs and we would play 100 overs, I’d take that as a batting unit. Even though we were playing one of the best attacks in the world, we could have batted a bit quicker. We probably missed out on 60-70 runs which could have minimised the lead,”
However, the blame wasn’t solely shouldered by the batsmen. Masood pointed a critical finger at the bowling unit, urging stricter discipline. “Bowling-wise, we did some good things, but not as disciplined as we wanted to be,” he stated, drawing an important lesson from the relentless Australian attack.
The journey to cricketing glory Down Under may be arduous, but Masood’s words signaled a commitment to learning from the past and building a sturdier fortress for future battles. Pakistan is due to face the baggy greens on boxing day at the G to play the second Test match of the Benaud-Qadir Trophy.
