Need to do more: Basit Ali unconvinced by Pakistan
Former Test batsman believes Men in Green should be dispatching hosts emphatically
THE SPECIALIST: Yasir was once again West Indies’ destroyer-in-chief as he ran through their middle and lower order. PHOTO: AFP
KARACHI:
There were many positives to take away from the second Test between West Indies and Pakistan in Bridgetown but former Test batsman Basit Ali remains unconvinced by Misbahul Haq’s charges, demanding more against a team like the West Indies.
Yasir Shah once again showed why he is arguably the world’s most destructive bowler in the second innings, leaving the West Indian batsmen clueless once the ball started to grip and turn.
Basit, however, feels Yasir was making the ball even before he ran through the West Indian middle and lower order.
“Yasir was bowling well right from the start but was unable to take wickets at the start,” he said. “However, it is concerning that our bowlers need to wait for the conditions to become favourable before they are able to take wickets. The same issue is faced by our batsmen, who are unable to score big when they play in unfamiliar conditions.”
The 46-year-old feels the team is struggling due to a lack of good pitches to practice upon throughout the year. “The players are not the ones to blame for this though,” he added. “The pitches in Pakistan are not up to the required standards, so the players always have difficulty adapting since they cannot get enough practice back home.”
The introduction of 18-year-old leg-spinner Shadab Khan raised eyebrows from several quarters, with many believing that his debut has come too early. That proved to be the case as Shadab struggled to match Yasir’s impact, even when the pitch started to offer turn.
“Shadab has more varieties in his arsenal than Yasir does, but he is a bit immature,” said Basit. “He shouldn’t been included in the team this early. Yes he has performed well in other formats but in the longest format, the batsmen have a lot of options at their disposal.”
Basit would have liked another young spinner, also discovered in the Pakistan Super League, to have played instead of Shadab. “[Left-arm spinner] Muhammad Asghar should have been included in the second Test,” he said. “Asghar has more experience and is more mature than Shadab, who still needs to work out how to use his variations in an effective manner in the longer formats.”
The pacers, however, did not please Basit despite bowling well in patches. “The pitch was conducive for pace bowling as the ball stayed slow,” he said. “Both of Pakistan’s pacers, Mohammad Abbas and Muhammad Amir, bowled well but did not show the required consistency to trouble the batsmen regularly.”
The outspoken Basit also felt the visitors should be taking the game more to their opposition. “Pakistan were too slow, with both bat and ball, and never really put the West Indian side under the cosh, especially with the bat in the first innings. If wickets are falling then yes you need to consolidate but at least you can rotate the strike when doing so,” he added. “Yasir did well to spark a mini collapse but the bowlers struggled early on and that was worrying.”
There were many positives to take away from the second Test between West Indies and Pakistan in Bridgetown but former Test batsman Basit Ali remains unconvinced by Misbahul Haq’s charges, demanding more against a team like the West Indies.
Yasir Shah once again showed why he is arguably the world’s most destructive bowler in the second innings, leaving the West Indian batsmen clueless once the ball started to grip and turn.
Basit, however, feels Yasir was making the ball even before he ran through the West Indian middle and lower order.
Yasir six-for hands Pakistan advantage
“Yasir was bowling well right from the start but was unable to take wickets at the start,” he said. “However, it is concerning that our bowlers need to wait for the conditions to become favourable before they are able to take wickets. The same issue is faced by our batsmen, who are unable to score big when they play in unfamiliar conditions.”
The 46-year-old feels the team is struggling due to a lack of good pitches to practice upon throughout the year. “The players are not the ones to blame for this though,” he added. “The pitches in Pakistan are not up to the required standards, so the players always have difficulty adapting since they cannot get enough practice back home.”
The introduction of 18-year-old leg-spinner Shadab Khan raised eyebrows from several quarters, with many believing that his debut has come too early. That proved to be the case as Shadab struggled to match Yasir’s impact, even when the pitch started to offer turn.
“Shadab has more varieties in his arsenal than Yasir does, but he is a bit immature,” said Basit. “He shouldn’t been included in the team this early. Yes he has performed well in other formats but in the longest format, the batsmen have a lot of options at their disposal.”
Basit would have liked another young spinner, also discovered in the Pakistan Super League, to have played instead of Shadab. “[Left-arm spinner] Muhammad Asghar should have been included in the second Test,” he said. “Asghar has more experience and is more mature than Shadab, who still needs to work out how to use his variations in an effective manner in the longer formats.”
The pacers, however, did not please Basit despite bowling well in patches. “The pitch was conducive for pace bowling as the ball stayed slow,” he said. “Both of Pakistan’s pacers, Mohammad Abbas and Muhammad Amir, bowled well but did not show the required consistency to trouble the batsmen regularly.”
The outspoken Basit also felt the visitors should be taking the game more to their opposition. “Pakistan were too slow, with both bat and ball, and never really put the West Indian side under the cosh, especially with the bat in the first innings. If wickets are falling then yes you need to consolidate but at least you can rotate the strike when doing so,” he added. “Yasir did well to spark a mini collapse but the bowlers struggled early on and that was worrying.”