I would sum up the series like this :
Match 1 : South Africa Dominate, definitely look the better side and beat Pakistan by 140 runs.
Match 2 : Pakistan come back to destroy SA and level the score. 1-1. They dont look like the Pakistan that got thrashed in the first game. Batting has unexpectedly fired and as a result (surprise surprise !!) Pakistan won.
Match 3 : Good bowling performance by Pakistan, bad batting performance. Should have gotten to 182 easily but coudldn't get over that habbit of not being able to score second whatever the target.
Match 4 : An unusally off day for the bowlers(surprise surprise !!), the batsmen letting them down again. SA batsmen dominate the day to fade the Pakistani hope of beating them and taking the series.
Match 5 : Pakistan first give it away by bowling too many bad bowls then after being in a winning position give away early christmas presents to the South Africans and drown themselves
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What can you say about a batsman that has compiled laborious runs, perhaps cornered the oppostion and then suddenly run himself out in such a stupid fashion ?
All in all this was a self destructive series for Pakistan. Waqar will rue the many chances that his team and his batsmen in particular had to grab the series. The score line reads 4-1 on face value it looks like a thrashing. Yet it was a close series, South Africa however were always looking the better side and deserved their win.
Waqar can hold his own head high, he consistently bowled beautifully throughout the series. As a captain he may not have had success but still, if the batsmen keep flunking, the blame cannot be assigned anywhere else.
Saeed Anwar has been excluded again from the test series. Which is understandable but its past and its future are not. Gary Kirsten gets a call back, comes in and thrashes a very potent attack for a century. Why cant Saeed be called back ? He is still Pakistan's most prolific run getter and has the experience to atleast perform better then the shows we have witnessed. Invairably the Pakistani score line will read something to the effect : 10/2. Which is bone breaking, no matter if you are chasing or setting a target.
It may seem that I am blaming the batsmen for the loss.....well I am ! If only they can learn to adapt just a tiny little they could do wonders but they refuse to do so. Play unjustified shots, take risks when it is not needed at all. Also the outlook to batting is not good at all. the mondset is not positive
enough, yet if its positive it extends into irresponsible shot play. Be it any Pakistani batsmen you will see a slashing half turned bat hanging in the sun to dry
!
Elahi didn't score many runs but I applaud the fact that atleast he was trying to do something different. Coming out toward the offstump to play the irresistable offstump line that Pollock and co were bowling.
I am very dissapointed with Inzamam and Youhanna. All five matches, whenever they came out middling the ball was never ever the problem. Its Inability to adapt. Understandable that fast pitches are a level up, surely Pybus knows that ?? what is he there for then ? if he cannot suggest to the team management that harder faster pitches need to be used ahead of a World Cup which is going to be played at such pitches ? Its all mindless crap which I cannot comprehend.
Also a mind boggling decision is to bat Afridi down the order. If I were the coach I would be telling him to mix aggression with safe shots. At that position specially while chasing a good fast runner like him would be valuable. Get in some good fast runs and get the score board running. Whats happening actually ? the kid comes out and tries to bash every ball for six breaking every bat coming to his hand....my good God :rolleyes:
Hands down to the South African team for yet another good showing and congrats to a talented team for letting itself down again :rolleyes:
The umpiring for the first two matches was good. After that it too faded. Shocking decisions were made and at crucial times which hurt Pakistan a lot. Specially referring to the Kirsten LBW in match 4 and the Younis run out (apparently :rolleyes
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So the series concludes on a demoralising note for the Pakistani's....ahead is a possibly difficult test series. Shoaib will not be playing. Wasim is out of test cricket. The batsmen cant play on bouncy pitches, the openers are wreckless.....(wow I really made it sound bleak
)
Good Luck Pakistan anyway !
PS. I would like Muhammad Zahid to get into the team with Sami and Waqar for the tests. Zahid has an excellent temperament and deserves a place in the team.