Inzamam ready to take responsibility for Pakistan’s debacle in New Zealand

Chief selectors asks Sarfraz and co to use bench players to try and change fortunes

KARACHI: Pakistan national team chief selector Inzamamul Haq has said that he is ready to take full responsibility for Sarfraz Ahmed and co’s dismal performance on their limited-overs tour of New Zealand.

Kane Williamson-led New Zealand gained an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match ODI series on Saturday after humiliating Pakistan with a 183-run defeat, as the Men in Green succumbed to their third lowest total of 74 in the 50-over format while chasing 257.

Inzamam, while addressing media on Sunday during the National One-Day Departmental Cup, said Pakistan need to find strength from the bench to hit back in the series.

"The players on the bench are there to be used as replacement if the mainstays are not performing,” he said. “The time has come that Pakistan try players from the bench.”

When asked to comment on the batting performance, Inzamam said: “The way we have lost wickets in all the matches is not acceptable. If it had happened in a single match then we could’ve accepted it, but they did not put up a good show in all three encounters.”

The 47-year-old added that the team needed to move forward after the Champions Trophy victory but they are at a standstill at the moment.

“This is nearly the same team that won the Champions Trophy and since then our performances should have become better, however we see that the team hasn’t improved,” he said.

Inzamam continued saying winning and losing in part of the game but he expected a better fight from the team “I don’t care if they win or lose, but they need to perform better than this,” he said.

However, he was optimistic that they will find solutions to the problems Pakistan are facing on the tour.

“There are some reasons behind these losses, but disturbing the team right now, in the middle of the series is not right. I am as worried about Pakistan’s performance as anyone else in the country, and when the team returns we will sit together with the captain, the coach and the management and talk about what happened and what can be done about, like we always do after every bad and good series.”

On a concluding note, Inzamam said if Pakistan is not able to change their fortunes in the ongoing series, he is ready to take all the responsibility.

"Conditions are different in New Zealand and I agree we should do more overseas tours, but we cannot solely blame the conditions,” he explained. “Team has been making mistakes that could’ve been avoided. We still have five matches (two ODIs and three T20Is) left and we are hopeful that the team will perform better, and if it doesn't, I'm ready to take all the responsibility."