What Pakistan cricket needs is cricketing intelligence

R Ashwin, one of the greatest players in contemporary Test cricket, had on October 8 tweeted, “A draw on the cards?” This was the second day of the Pakistan-England Test in Multan.

He couldn’t be blamed as the pitch in Multan was looking as placid as it could get.

A couple of days later, he tweeted that only poor batting in the third innings could produce a result.

Pakistan obliged, batted poorly in the third innings and folded for 220 to lose by an innings and 47 runs.

However, for once, you can’t blame Pakistani batsmen ahead of their bowlers. In 150 overs, Shaheen Afridi & Co allowed England to get to 823/7 declared, the fourth highest innings total in history of Test cricket. The runs came at a rate of 5.48 an over.

All the three scores above it, and in fact, all Test totals above 700 have come at a run rate lesser than this. In fact, among totals in excess of 700, only one other time has a team breached the 5-run rate mark. That was Australia against hapless Zimbabwe at Perth when Matthew Hayden hit 380. There have been 26 scores of 700-plus in Test history so far.

It brings us to a question about Pakistan bowling. Is this the worst-ever Pakistan Test attack we are witnessing? Pakistani batters made 448 against Bangladesh in first innings in Rawalpindi last month, yet they lost the Test allowing Bangladesh to score 550-plus. This time they scored 550-plus and still lost the Test.

Pakistan have almost always dished out flat surfaces. In the 2008-09 two-Test series between Pakistan and Sri Lanka, each of the three completed innings in Karachi and Lahore saw totals in excess of 600. That Pakistan attack too lacked star bowlers, barring Umar Gul and Danish Kaneria and the two went for runs although they had something to show in Sri Lanka’s second innings.

In 2006, India’s last Test tour of Pakistan, the first two Tests were drawn following heavy scores. There were 679/7, 410/1, 588, 603, and 490/8 declared in these two Tests before some early swing in Karachi saw teams get restricted for below 300 in first two innings. However, the third innings saw 599/7. There were the likes of Shoaib Akhtar, Mohammad Sami, Saqlain Mushtaq (albeit overweight and on the wane) in Pakistan and Zaheer Khan and Anil Kumble in India’s side.

Through the 1980s and 1990s, a lot of drawn Test matches took place in Pakistan. There would be an odd Test or two where either Pakistan or the opposition would win to clinch the series. What the Pakistani attack of those years probably did, in sync with the fashion of the times, not allow the opposition innings to run away, something they failed to do in recent times and also in the Multan Test of 2004 when Virender Sehwag, scoring at a strike rate of over 82 powered India to a win.

The only explanation for this kind of failure to stop runs is lack of imagination from the bowlers or lack in leadership that can inspire them to find new ways.

Former Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq was much maligned by ex-cricketers like Wasim Akram and Ramiz Raja for negative approach. But what Misbah managed to do was create for Pakistan an image of invincibility in home Tests, albeit at home away from home, UAE.

Coach Mickey Arthur had, in an interview with www.espncricinfo.com once praised Misbah for his ability to think on cricket. He said he has that quality because he devotes a lot of time to it.

You can point at plenty of wrongs ailing Pakistan cricket especially in multi-day format. But what it probably needs most urgently is a refresh button, where cricketing intelligence is given preference – the likes of which produced former great cricketers who could think of and put to use qualities such as reverse swing, and doosra. The lack of it is evident every now then, from players as well as Pakistan Cricket Board. A great example of it was former South Africa pace bowler Morne Morkel's removal as bowling coach immediately after the 2023 World Cup failure. Morkel's style of bowling is most suited to conditions in Australia, where they were supposed to tour later in the year. Yet he was sacked probably as a scapegoat for World Cup failure. Pakistan lost 0-3 in Australia, whitewashed, and although their bowlers performed well on occasions, this was their best chance to win with Australia's batting probably at its weakest ever.  

Playing on flat surfaces at home gives an opportunity to bowlers and captain to explore newer ideas to take wickets. But for that, there is a need to develop cricketing intelligence and to bring about that, you don’t just need to spend a lot of time on the field but also learning how to think out of the box. And be confident and near-perfect with fresh ideas. For in cricket like in every field, the only constant is change.

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Pakistan cricket, England cricket, Multan, Shan Masood, Joe Root, Harry Brook, PAKvsENG