As the first day of the 3rd Test was coming to an end, the body language of the Pakistani players showed that they were not only physically exhausted and tired, but had surrendered the match mentally, as well. Our captain was just going through the motions and seemed as if he was longing for the comfort of his hotel room. We have yet to witness such an uninspiring and demoralizing leader. It looked as if Misbah was totally devoid of any enthusiasm and had already accepted defeat, as a fait accompli. Is there anybody in the PCB who should inform Misbah ul Haq that if fate had ordained defeat for our team, still all the players should have given it their best? Moreover, Muhammad Akram, our team’s bowling coach should also be asked to explain the reasons of almost a dozen ‘no balls’ thrown by our bowlers during the day. Our coaches must be held accountable for the downhill performance of the players.
We can tolerate losing a game but if the performance of our players has been excellent. Why has the performance of the team deteriorated to this level? Is anyone taking responsibility for the performance? If our coaches can’t improve our players at least they must ensure players are not forgetting the basics of the game. It is the duty of the PCB to ensure ruthless accountably of the players, coaches and the team management without any laxity.
SYED NAYYAR UDDIN AHMAD,
Lahore, February 22.