Dubai: The second One Day International between Pakistan and Australia at the Dubai International Stadium on Friday will be a litmus test for Misbah-ul-Haq’s team.
Having lost the first match in the three-game series in Sharjah by a huge margin, as well as the one-off Twenty20 match in Dubai, Pakistan need to go all out to win this match.
The Pakistan players will also have to try and live up to the famous slogan “if it is Friday, it has to be Pakistan”, which was coined by their fans in the UAE many years ago. Unfortunately, the odds are heavily against them, with their batsmen showing no signs of determination to stay at the wicket.
The shots they played in both the Twenty20 and the one-day match were appalling and more is expected from professional cricketers.
Pakistan coach Waqar Younis expressed fears after the Twenty20 match about whether his team could last 50 overs. In fact, both Waqar and skipper Misbah had remarked before leaving for the UAE that the team is underprepared after the Pakistan Cricket Board delayed the announcement of the squads.
Pakistan’s pathetic batting against Australia at Sharjah is a particular worry as there is a 50-over World Cup on the horizon early next year.
Both coach and captain have been candid in their views about their players’ approach to the matches. To yield their wickets to spinners Nathan Lyon and Glenn Maxwell, who do not reach the standards of some of Pakistan’s domestic cricketers, has been a worrying factor.
Though Misbah has appealed to his batsmen to raise their hands and play a big knock to lift Pakistan’s morale, right now there is no one in the team confident enough to take up that challenge.
In fact, if Shahid Afridi could play one of his whirlwind knocks it would lift the morale of the team. Unfortunately, such knocks from Afridi have become rare.
There are many promising youngsters in the Pakistan team who have done really well at domestic level, but it is strange that none are willing to take it as a challenge and play a powerful innings on the big stage.
It is here where Australia are gaining the upper hand. Almost all their debutants in the Twenty20 and one-dayer justified their inclusion, chipping in effectively in their team’s victories. Though Australia are not a star-studded team due to injuries to some of their top players, the rest have been playing according to a plan.
The biggest problem that Misbah is facing is his players’ reluctance to deliver at the right time. When Misbah was asked whether it was tough to teach his players this trait, he said: “It is not about teaching at this level.
“They know their game, they also know how to tackle this, but sometimes, due to lack of experience, when you are under pressure, it can cause failures. It is not that they are lacking in their techniques, though it could be a little bit of a factor, but I think it is all about confidence and belief and at the moment our confidence level is a little bit shaky.
“We need one good innings as a team and then things can change very quickly for a batsman as well as the team. All we need is one good game to gain the momentum and our team will be back on track.”
