ISLAMABAD - Former fast bowler Sarfraz Nawaz Sunday termed Pakistan team performance in the first Test against Sri Lanka as very poor and unbelievable.
“It was hard to watch how batting line flopped miserably and I had warned selectors well before the squad was announced. I had shown my strong reservations on the selection of M Talha and Abdul Rehman. I had advised the PCB to include a youngster in place of Rehman but no heed was paid and the masses had witnessed both bowlers looked off colour and tired during the entire match. Just because of these two bowlers, even Saeed Ajmal was finding it really difficult to buy early wickets. But he used his vast experience at the depth of the first innings to get late wickets. Had Saeed not taken late wickets, Sri Lankan could have posted huge total in the first innings.”
Sarfraz expressed these views while talking exclusively with The Nation from England. “It was a good and bold decision by Misbah to bat first on the Galle track, which is known to support spinners in the second innings. After batting so well in the first innings, especially by Younus Khan, the team crumbled in the second innings and just scored 180, which is quite unbelievable. There was not much in the pitch but it was poor selection of strokes by the Pakistani batsmen, which led to their downfall.”
He said If he were the captain of the team, he would have definitely opted for a younger spinner rather than going with Rehman. “I had told Talha well before, if he had ambitions of playing in the longer version of the game then he must have to strengthen his legs and bend more to produce pace and movement in his bowling. But he paid no heed to my advices and the result is quite evident. Same is the case with Rehman. He was bowling way off side the leg stumps, which resulted in Sri Lankan batsmen easily not only scored runs but also put pressure on Ajmal.”
Sarfraz said there are lot of questions needed to be answered as Pakistani bowling looked hapless against Lankan batsmen and especially against Sangakkara who hammered all the bowlers at will. “His 221 runs knock ensure Lankans to take the lead. Misbah must learn from opponent skipper Mathews, who batted superbly along with Sangakkara and made 91 useful runs. Had Pakistani bowlers managed to provide early breakthroughs and taken important wickets timely, Pakistan could have taken lead, instead of conceding 82 runs first innings lead.”
He said it was quite surprising that a team which scored 451 runs in the first innings flopped to post even 200 runs in the second outing. “Only Saeed was able to dictate terms and that too in the later stages of the first innings. All the other bowlers failed to provide assistance to hi,, while on the other hand all the Sri Lankan bowlers especially Perera and Herath bowled superbly.” He said after conceding first Test it would be very difficult for green caps to bounce back in the last Test match, which is round the corner. He said Waqar must have to pick his team especially being a bowler, Waqar must talk to his bowlers and try to lift them otherwise it would be a lost cause.
Sarfraz requested entire nation to pray for his ailing brother, Shahid Nawaz, who is very serious in UK. “I had prolonged my stay in UK for another week, as I want to remain with my brother,” Sarfraz concluded.