Costly errors against India irk former cricketers

Decision to bowl, opening with spinner Imad branded as wrong calls

KARACHI: Pakistan's abysmal showing in their 143-run defeat at the hands of arch-rivals India in the opening match of the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy on Sunday has expectedly attracted heavy criticism from former cricketers.

Recently retired all-rounder Abdul Razzaq could've made peace with captain Sarfraz Ahmed's decision to bowl first but couldn't fathom the logic of choosing left-arm spinner Imad Wasim to share the new ball with pacer Mohammad Amir.

“Sarfraz might have taken the decision to bowl first due to the overcast conditions," Razzaq told The Express Tribune. "Inviting your opponent to bat first after winning the toss, though a rare decision, could have worked had the right combination of bowlers been used.

“Unless your spin options are really effective, you cannot use one to open the attack against a nation that thrives against spinners," he added, reminding that it was this particular decision that set the depressing tone for the rest of the day.

“Had it been Hassan Ali or Wahab Riaz sharing the new ball with Amir, things could have been much different," he said.

Despite his decision backfiring big time, Razzaq feels Sarfraz alone should be in charge of picking his starting eleven. “Sarfraz should be given a free hand to lead and select his playing 11 per the team's need; the interference of the management will not let the captain turn this into a good team,” he said.

Former opener Yasir Hameed was much more varied and scathing with his criticism, saying: “Pakistan losing to India by such a huge margin in a rain-affected match is a shame for the team and shows where our team stands in world cricket.

“The energy that this fixture used to have in the past was nowhere to be seen because Pakistani players did not actually show up to play.”

Hameed, like Razzaq, found fault with the decision to bowl first and that too with a left-arm spinner. “Opting to field and then choosing a left-arm spinner to open were the first few of a series of poor decisions,” he said.

“The remaining mistakes, as usual, were made in the field where chances were missed and new lives were given to the Indian batsman."

Hameed also took Pakistan batsmen to task, saying that they seemed unconfident and under pressure. “India’s top five batsmen were able to score half-centuries because their openers had put a strong base; they had the option to take risk and hit the ball hard,” he said.

Hameed concluded that all of Pakistan's struggles at international level stem from the country's poor domestic cricket structure. “We have so much talent that can be seen in Ramazan tournaments but they are not able to reach the top because the structure of domestic cricket is not up to the mark," he added.