Test cricket tests your skill, character and fitness. Over a period of five days and 15 sessions it is test of temperament, patience and technique. If just one session goes bad then you can lose a Test match. This has happened on many occasion in the 147 years of Test cricket.
With the advent of Twenty20 cricket the demands of not only ODIs but also the Test matches have changed. Teams have adapted to the new demands of five day cricket. Some countries prepare specifically for the red-ball games and are thriving in the format. India, Australia and England are the top teams in the longer format and because of their domination there are talks of having Test cricket in two tiers, the top five teams playing in the top grade while the rest play in the second tier. Already there is a notable fact that more than two Tests are only played in a series when either of these three teams are involved. This has been happening since 2019. If these three teams are not involved then the series comprises of only two matches.
With an innings and 47 runs defeat at the hands of an aggressive and innovative England, Pakistan have now lost six Tests on the trot and are winless in eleven matches at home. They are now ninth and last in the World Test Championship (WTC) cycle, going low and low after finishing sixth in the first cycle (2019-2021) and seventh in the next (2021-23). The defeat against England was very embarrassing as Pakistan have now become the first team in Test cricket’s history to lose a match by an innings after scoring more than 500.
There were pre-series premonitions. Will England reprise a 3-0 result, like that they inflicted in 2022? How to counter their aggressive style of play? It was a Catch22 situation for Shan Masood led team. If they prepare a flat track, England will score fast as they did in Multan. If a spin pitch is prepared, they are well equipped with a trio of spinners led by an experienced Jack Leach. If they leave grass on the 22-yeard piece of land then their own batters will also struggle. So facing an inextricable and insoluble situation Pakistan decided to employ a flat pitch at Multan stadium. Maybe, the vague thinking was that atleast some of the out of form batters will score runs.
Unfortunate it was to have a flatbed pitch in Multan. It was cruel on Pakistan’s pace spearheads Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naeeem Shah who toiled hard with little effect. When Naseem criticsed the Rawalpindi pitch during the first Test against Bangladesh it resulted in his ouster from the second match. The most successful bowler in the Bangladesh defeats was Khurram Shahzad but his extra effort to take wickets resulted in an injury. Khurram is now out of the England series.
It’s not only the bowlers but also the home batters who are coming a cropper, notably in the second innings. Once England had a big 267-run lead, fear of failure crept in Pakistan batters. Take the case of opener Abdullah Shafique who had a hundred in the first innings but was dismissed off an innocuous first ball of the innings. That showed fear. Skipper Shan Masood failed to capitalise on two lucky drop catches, Babar Azam is in a rut mainly of his own doing and Saim Ayub played a loose shot. On this flat Multan pitch, Pakistan’s second innings failure was unacceptable. But it was a sequence of poor second innings failures. In the last six Tests Pakistan’s second essays have yielded 172, 146, 115, 237, 89 and 220. — all tell a miserable story.
It is said mistake is done once and if you continue to commit mistakes it is habit!
Pakistan was also short on home work. Most of the players were playing a 50-over tournament instead of four-day or a five-day competition. It affected the performances of bowlers as they were not only mentally fit for the longer format nor were they mentally ready. A flat pitch proved to be a dilemma for them. England found a way to take the Multan pitch out of the equation with brisk scoring rate. Pakistan failed to get out of the maze. Shan Masood and all those who plan on how to deal with the opponents also were found wanting. Sri Lanka made Harry Brook frustrated by bowling him on the fifth and sixth stumps and the young batter threw his wicket on most of occasion, scoring just one half century. Pakistan bowled him within the stumps and were castigated for a fourth hundred in as many matches.
Pakistan team has miserably failed in tests that a Test match throws. There seems no way to get out of this rut. Another 3-0 rout seems on the cards. A lively, result-oriented and sporting pitch may not give Pakistan a win, but at least it can help them prepare for the future.
