'They look more in control when they bat first' - Ramiz Raja dissects Pakistan's loss against England

Pakistan team’s unpredictability rose to the fore for the umpteenth time as they failed to put on a good performance in the second T20I against England on Sunday, 18 July. If Shoaib Akhtar was left bemused by skipper Babar Azam’s decision to bowl first on a slow and spin-friendly pitch, Ramiz Raja was unimpressed by Pakistan’s decisions and tactics in the second T20I, which the visitors lost by 45 runs.

What made many experts question Azam’s tactics was the fact that the Men in Green had posted their highest T20I score a few days back, and rather than sticking to the formula that worked well in the first game, Azam decided opted to chase instead in the second game.

Now, Raja feels that Pakistan should have looked to bat first and made a good start to the innings just like they did in the first of the three-match T20I series.

“Pakistan look more in control when they bat first. Because then they have an idea of the target while bowling and then they have the passion along with the fielding to back it up. They show both defensive and offensive tactics in those cases. Their chances of winning drastically increase in the process. This comeback was expected from England because they were playing at home with the series on the line. They made changes and propelled themselves upwards,” he said to Cricket Pakistan.

Ramiz Raja reckons Pakistan should have played Usman Qadir

The 58-year-old further opined that Pakistan should have played one more leg-spinner instead of playing Shadab Khan. The Men in Green have the services of Usman Qadir, but he has not been given a chance in this series yet. Raja felt Pakistan missed a trick by playing only Shadab.

“They [England] played with two leg-spinners. The tactics have changed while Pakistan, who made this tactic of playing two leg-spinners, has forgotten this tactic. Usman Qadir was present in the squad that was going to face a side with around two to three inexperienced batsmen. Some don’t play spin well. They still didn’t think about attacking with two leg-spinners. This is why Pakistan sometimes pays a price because of its tactics, not because of the talent that it has,” he added.