Pakistan lost a golden opportunity to whitewash the English on their own turf…
It’s safe to say that the most consistent feature of the Pakistani cricket team has been its inconsistency. After an unexpectedly stellar performance at the iconic Lord’s Cricket Ground, the outcome at Headingley came as a severe disappointment to many of Pakistan’s fans.
Before we move on, let’s admit that had this performance played out in the first test, we would not have been this critical. Everyone understood that this was a young team used to playing shorter formats, one which was still in the rebuilding process after the departure of Misbah and Younis. Furthermore, it was predicted that the absence of Yasir Shah would also hurt the chances of the green machine.
However, the discipline showcased at Lord’s, in all three departments, by the Pakistani cricket team impressed even the most severe critics of the team as Mickey Arthur’s men pulled off a commanding 9-wicket victory over England. But the underlying question remains; what changed in the second game?
Pakistan coach Mickey Arthur on the drawn series against England #ENGvPAK pic.twitter.com/j9tKMPVhzi
— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) June 5, 2018
As many have already pointed out, the absence of Babar Azam had a significant impact. After all, he remains the backbone of the middle-order – and its collapse in both innings of the second test is proof enough in that regard. Furthermore, it could also safely be claimed that the level of determination of the green team was lacking in the second test, leading to a far less disciplined performance.
Yet, one point which many analysts seem to miss is the simple fact that the Englishmen had much more riding on this game than the Pakistani side. Imagine the humiliation they would have faced had they been whitewashed at home for the first time in history by Pakistan, especially with a rookie side such as this. Hence, it was far more critical for the hosts to pull their act together and rally to level the series.
A 1-1 draw for such a young side is by no means a poor result, and far more experienced sides have failed to give England a run for their money on home soil. While the fans would have loved to see the Pakistani side put up a better fight in the second test, the fact remains that the team could extract a lot of positives from these two test matches. Whether it be the consistency of the younger players or a stark improvement in the bowling and fielding departments, the future of the Pakistani team in test cricket remains bright.