Postmortem time for Pakistan Posted

By Rida Zaheer

Tweet Losing the test series 3-0 and the one-day series 3-2, the Pakistan cricket team would undergo a post-mortem when they got home, said captain Misbah-ul-Huq in Benoni on Sunday.

“We started poorly, especially in test matches, and although we improved in the second test, we have made mistakes in our batting throughout the tour,” Misbah said.

“We go back and reflect on the performances and see what we need to do for the future.”

Despite fighting back twice to level the five-match one-day series, Pakistan’s batting let them down badly in the fifth and final deciding match.

“It was a key moment when we dropped AB de Villiers (with his score on one), but it happens in cricket even though those catches should stick at this level. “But we can only blame ourselves for the way we batted and that is what cost us the game.”

While most of the batsmen got starts, none of them went on to a big score as Kamran Akmal topped the innings with 48 runs.

“We should have made at least 250 and it was poor shot selection and irresponsible batting,” he said after Pakistan were bowled out for 205 and they lost the final deciding match by six wickets.

There were some positives to take back after their arduous tour, especially the team’s ability to bounce back twice in the series.

“The team showed a lot of character because even when they were down, they were able to fight back and win matches,” he said.

“I think we can get some of the positives from the tour but South Africa are very tough opposition in their own conditions.”

Mohammad Irfan, the tallest man in cricket, had made a good impression during his debut test in South Africa but Misbah said he had a lot of work to do if he wanted to play all three formats of the game.

“Irfan has to work hard on his fitness if he wants to play test cricket but the way he performed, especially in the ODIs, is a huge factor for us.

“We need to look really carefully at playing him in tests because with his physique, it could be dangerous for him.

“He is calm in pressure situations and in terms of temperament he has no problems, it is only work on his fitness that needs to be done.

Misbah said his side were looking forward to meeting South Africa again for the Champions Trophy and they would go home and start discussing the future and work towards their next battle.

Courtesy: http://www.supersport.com/cricket/sa-eam/news/130324/Postmortem_time_for_Pakistan