No cause for alarm: Waqar

Pakistan coach not worried after a humiliating loss to Auckland in tour opener.

AUCKLAND: Pakistan coach Waqar Younis has shrugged off concerns about his team following an embarrassing loss against Auckland in the tour opener.

The tourists were bundled out for a paltry 91 while batting first in the Twenty20 and went onto lose the match by five wickets. Younis said he was not worried despite the batting failing miserably at the Colin Maiden Park before Auckland completed the job with more than six overs to spare.

“It wasn’t the ideal start but that happens sometimes when you’ve just arrived in the country and you don’t really know much about the pitch conditions,” said Younis. “I’m not really worried about it.”

Pakistan, who hired former captain Javed Miandad as their batting consultant after a miserable show this year, did not show any signs of improvement as only four batsmen managed double digits with Umar Akmal (25) being the highest.

“The batting had been doing a good deal of work but the batsmen failed to click in the game and no one had taken responsibility to anchor the effort.”

Pakistan’s next match is the first of three Twenty20 internationals on Boxing Day. “I think they’ve learned the lesson and hopefully in the next game it will be different. We have done badly [in this game] and we have spoken about it. We have to work hard over the next couple of days so we don’t repeat this type of performance.”

Auckland humiliate Pakistanis

Put into bat, Pakistanis were off to the worst possible start. Shahid Afridi, who had announced that he would open the batting in the Twenty20 format, lasted four deliveries after Mohammad Hafeez and Ahmed Shehzad were sent back in the first over. Reduced to seven for three, Younus Khan and Umar Akmal added 38 before the former captain had to take a walk back to the dressing room.

The last six wickets folded up quicker and even though Abdul Razzaq and Umar Gul added 31 for the seventh wicket, curtains were drawn on the innings in just the 18th over. Michael Bates, who had taken 14 wickets in the Twenty20 format, finished with four for 11.

If the Pakistan bowlers thought of making a match of it, the hopes were crushed by Colin de Grandhomme and Martin Guptill as Auckland raced to 28 off 16 balls before Shoaib Akhtar took the first of his two wickets. He dismissed another batsman 15 runs later and Saeed Ajmal reduced the side to 46 for three but the result was never in doubt as Auckland reached home  with 40 balls to spare.

Akhtar finished with two for 31 while Ajmal returned with two for 20 as the bowlers’ were the only good news for Pakistan in the match.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 24^th, 2010.