Not having done too well in ODIs concerns me: Mickey Arthur

In spite of having clinched a dramatic draw in the Test series against England, Pakistan coach Mickey Arthur has voiced his concerns about Pakistan’s performance in the One-Day International circuit. Pakistan is ranked in the number nine spot in the rankings and has not won their previous few ODIs. Arthur also added that he would like to bring back their playing style from the powerful team that they were in the 1990s.

“We have not done well in ODIs. I think this is a real concern for me,” Arthur told AFP in London before the squad travelled to Ireland. “Pakistan’s position at number nine in one-day cricket is not good. Pakistan is not the number nine team but I do fear that our one-day cricket will regress because of playing the style or brand that belongs to the 1990s when the game has moved on such big amount.

Arthur, who is famous for organizing boot camps and other innovative fitness sessions added that fitness in the shorter format played a massive role.“I also think that your fitness and fielding play a massive role. So we need to get our players up to speed on that. I have looked at the one-day players and they look good but it’s going to be extremely tough. England is a very, very good one-day team now, so for us, it’s about our progression. This is where our one-day journey starts. It’s not I am cautioning anybody, but I think it will take some time to get our one-day side to exactly where we want them to be.”

The former Australia and South Africa coach also reiterated the importance of the all-rounder in the side. “In one-day cricket you need all-rounders, so we are trying some new things, we have some good players like Mohammad Nawaz, Imad Waseem, and Hasan Ali. We have (wicket-keeper) Sarfraz Ahmed and we can have him up the order, so we have to get that batting depth.”

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The former South Africa and Australia coach added: “We need to have attacking players top of the order and then have someone at number six who can clear the ropes. We have to find good players. England’s system is so good that it keeps producing players. They play a lot of Twenty20 and one-day cricket so we have to look at our domestic cricket.

“We have to develop batsmen who are fearless. England has those fearless players to Jason Roy, Jos Buttler, and others.” But despite his worries Arthur believes Pakistan — who came from 2-1 down to draw their four-match Test series against England at 2-2 with a 10-wicket win at The Oval on Sunday — can be competitive against England.

Finally, speaking about Pakistan’s chances, Mickey Arthur said, “We go into every series thinking we can win it. I certainly have no fears that we will lose 5-0. For me, it’s my first opportunity to see the one-day players and take them into the future. England is a very,very good team but I will be really disappointed if we lose 5-0.”

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