Saud laments Pakistan’s batting woes

Repeated soft dismissals leave Green-shirts facing another batting disaster

Pakistan vice-captain Saud Shakeel admitted his side were disappointed after another batting collapse left them struggling against England in the third Test at Edgbaston on Wednesday.

Pakistan were bowled out for just 133 in 33.5 overs after losing the toss and being asked to bat first, their shortest innings of the three-match series. Shakeel top-scored with 43 from 47 balls, but England’s pace attack repeatedly exposed Pakistan’s batting in overcast conditions.

“We are making the same mistake again and again,” Saud told reporters. “We are making a lot of efforts from our side, but if something is being repeated, then we are disappointed.”

Ollie Robinson took 3-15, Jofra Archer 3-25 and Josh Tongue 4-42 as England exploited moisture and movement from the surface.

He said the pitch was expected to become easier for batting but Pakistan failed to survive the most difficult period.

“Early on, there was a little juice in the pitch,” he said. “As we went to bat first, the conditions favoured them at that time. It was overcast, so that was a time when, if we had put up a good partnership, the pitch would have been better for batting.”

England also lost early wickets after Pakistan began their innings, but Emilio Gay and Harry Brook rebuilt the hosts’ innings. England reached 156-4 at stumps, taking a 23-run lead.

He rejected suggestions that Pakistan’s struggles were primarily the result of their players’ involvement in franchise leagues, saying the batting group simply had not performed well.

“As a batting group, we are not playing well. It is our responsibility,” he said. “But if your form gets bad under such conditions, I think it becomes difficult to get out of it.”

The left-hander, who made 97 in the second Test at Lord’s, said he was trying to adapt his approach according to the match situation rather than deliberately becoming more aggressive.

“I try to play according to the demand of the situation,” he said. “Wherever I could see today that my partner was also going from the front, the best option was to make as many runs as possible. So I was playing with the same intent.”

Saud also backed 21-year-old debutant Razaullah, who impressed with his pace and claimed two England wickets, including the dismissal of Joe Root.

Pakistan have struggled to produce and retain express fast bowlers, according to Shakeel, who said Razaullah’s raw pace could prove valuable even though he had played only eight first-class matches before his Test debut.

“Such express fast bowlers, even if they don’t play much first-class cricket, it doesn’t matter that much,” he said. “Their raw talent and their raw pace comes in handy, which we also saw in Raza’s form today.”

He added that senior players and the coaching staff had a responsibility to help the youngster develop.

“We have to give them a good plan so that they can work with their pace,” Shakeel said.

Razaullah, who was playing his first Test, finished the day with 2-42 after removing Root and Gay.

Saud acknowledged that Pakistan’s batting problems had become a recurring issue but said confidence was not lacking within the team.

“If you want to play at this level and if you don’t have the confidence, then you don’t deserve to play here,” he said.

England will resume on Thursday with a 23-run lead and six wickets in hand, while Pakistan need early breakthroughs to prevent the hosts from building a decisive advantage.