Pakistan need to play attacking cricket, says Latif

Former skipper blames defensive approach after lunch for defeat at Edgbaston

KARACHI: With England leading the ongoing four-match Test series against Pakistan 2-1 after their victory at Edgbaston, former captain Rashid Latif said that the visitors have to take responsibility for the defeat after becoming too defensive after lunch.

Latif explained that Pakistan were motoring along nicely before the lunch session with Sami Aslam and Azhar Ali looking comfortable but they had a totally different approach when they came to bat in the second session.

“They just kept getting out one after the other and couldn’t handle the pressure England built, especially with ball reversing quite early,” he said. “Pakistani batsmen can’t survive with a defensive mindset in England and the only way is to play positive cricket.”



Pakistan were 69-1 in 22 overs going into lunch but made only 10 runs in 51 balls when Azhar departed.

“Pakistan were in complete control before lunch because both Azhar and Sami were playing positive cricket,” Latif told The Express Tribune. “It wasn’t the same after lunch and that resulted in Pakistan’s defeat.”



The former wicketkeeper feels Pakistan allowed England to attack. “For a brief period England were on the backfoot because Azhar and Sami were scoring freely,” he said. “I don’t know what happened during the lunch break that prompted them to become so defensive and invite pressure on themselves.”

With Pakistan’s recent defeat, England’s unbeaten streak against Asian sides at home has now stretched to 16 matches with Pakistan playing eight of them while India and Sri Lanka have played six and two matches respectively.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 9^th, 2016.

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