Stani Army

I for one am glad I didn’t get too carried away by Pakistan’s day 2 second innings recovery as they would have inevitably let me down having raised my hopes. And so it proved, as another batting collapse saw them go from 285 for 1 to 320 all out in their second innings. This left Sri Lanka needing 171, and with their tales up they ran through comfortable winners in the end, getting there in just 32 overs with 7 wickets in hand.

Pakistan’s 2nd innings recovery did nothing but raise even more questions as to why the 1st innings performance was so bad, and despite the 2nd innings collapse, it was this 1st innings total which cost in the end. Had they scored even a hundred more, they would have fancied bowling out Sri Lanka for less than 270 on a 4th innings pitch.

So, where did it all go wrong? Pakistan’s 2nd innings collapse all started when Sri Lanka took the new ball and the Pakistan batsmen just did not have an answer. The Sri Lankan’s did bowl well but questions will be asked of the Pakistan batsmen, particularly the early to middle order. Though Misbah was unlucky to be given out today

Read the rest of this entry »

Well the Twenty20 Champions couldn’t even manage that in the first innings of the 2nd Test against Sri Lanka in Colombo.

Having snatched defeat from the jaws of victory in the 1st Test, today’s batting performance must have left Pakistan’s coaching staff seething. I suppose this would have been mainly to save their own skins as what ever they would have told the players in between the last Test and this one, quite clearly has not worked. It is difficult for the coaching staff to have much effect whilst a match is on going yet in between matches is where they must have an influence. But with four ducks and just three double figure scores (the highest being 39), it seems as if the Pakistani players did not come into this match with a single thought of what had transpired in the last.

Another change to the opening pair saw Fawad Alam come in for Salman Butt. Many had asked for Fawad’s inclusion yet he could only manage 16 runs having being sent in to open which was something he had never done before in an international game. This decision seemed even more bizarre than when Alam was asked to bowl the very important 15th over of the T20 semi-final having not bowled at all in the tournament previously. Sure, Fawad would have been asked if he would like to open today but as a youngster desperate to play for your country, you just say yes, whether its opening or coming in last.

Read the rest of this entry »

Pakistan will be going in with the same squad for the second Test in Lahore on Sunday. Though they have put reserves on stand by, it will be difficult to see how they would be pushing for a place especially among the batting line up as you would have had to have been devoid of talent to have batted poorly enough to be dropped on the Karachi track.

Read the rest of this entry »