Lack of ability to assess the game hurting Pakistan: Mushtaq Mohammed

The Pakistan team are not in a good shape at the moment. They were whitewashed in the ODI series against New Zealand and have already lost the first T20I. If they do not amend things soon, a ‘Tourwash’ may just be around the corner. But the Pakistan team has the ability to pull up performances that shock the world. They may lose one day and hammer the opposition on another day.

Mushtaq Mohammad, one of the greatest all-rounders and captain to have played for Pakistan has cited that lack of game assessment at crucial stage of matches and inability to respond to them are the prime reason for the team’s failure in the recent past. The team has had an inconsistent run over the past year.

Lack of ability to take charge of the game

Though the team won the Champions Trophy in 2017, they haven’t had any notable performances apart from that. Fans have started to think as to whether the win was earned or Luck played a major role. “We are all proud of their victory in the Champions Trophy but what is happening now in New Zealand is forcing everyone to think that it was a fluke of some sort. People may not like my statement but that I believe is the reality of Pakistan cricket.” Mushtaq told Dawn in an interview.

The 75-year-old Mushtaq feels that the talent has always been there but the players have failed to enhance their skills. The on-filed performances are not reflecting the work that is being done behind the scenes. Senior players like Shoaib Malik, Azhar Ali and Mohammad Hafeez must step up for the team whey they are in need of them. But they too have failed to make an impact in the series.

The players have failed to focus during crunch situations. The former skipper also added that India had world class players in Kohli, Dhoni and Rohit. “The honest truth is we lack reliable players. Look at India who have quite a few world class players in Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and MS Dhoni on whom their team can depend upon. In the New Zealand side, too, there is skipper Kane Williamson and Martin Guptill, how dependable and important they are despite encountering pressure situations day in and day out,” Mushtaq added.

Just like Sri Lanka who have failed to fill the void left by Sangakara and Jayawardena, Pakistan haven’t found like-for-like replacements for Misbah-ul-Haq and Younis Khan. Sarfaraz Khan is often seen changing strategies and review things during the match. This kind of attitude adds pressure on the players. The skipper must set an example for the team by being calm. The team must settle these issues as soon as possible because the World Cup is getting closer day by day.

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