In exclusive remarks to PakPassion.net, Rashid Latif laid the blame on the Test series loss on some "off-the-field" issues as well as the players' failure to cope with the nature of the pitches in Sri Lanka.

 by Nimra Ishtiaq

16th July 2012

Pakistan’s recent 1-0 defeat in the Test series against Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka was their first Test series loss in almost two years. While some believe the failure of Pakistan’s fast bowlers (barring Junaid Khan) and some of the experienced batsmen was the sole reason for the loss, others blame poor umpiring and the absence of DRS for Pakistan’s defeat in the first Test which eventually went on to decide the result of the Test series. 

However, in exclusive remarks to PakPassion.net, Rashid Latif laid the blame of the Test series loss on issues with the team management as well as the players' failure to cope with the nature of the pitches in Sri Lanka.

With Pakistan easily beating an ostensibly stronger opponent in the shape of England in the UAE, it was a surprise to see Misbah’s team lose in Sri Lanka. Former Pakistan captain and wicket-keeper stated “I think the pitches had a big role to play – our batsmen were uncomfortable on the pitches that offered assistance to the bowlers. Likewise, our bowlers looked uncomfortable on batting tracks. I don’t think team combination was much of a problem because this is more or less the same team that had beaten Sri Lanka and England in the UAE just six months ago.”

Rashid Latif also believed that some off-the-field issues distracted the players and greatly affected their performance on the field. “I think there were some issues behind the scenes that affected the team’s performance. Firstly, there was the issue of the central contracts. Then there was the captaincy issue as Mohammad Hafeez was named captain (in T20) and lastly, the change of management – all these things have happened recently and these three factors, collectively, might have affected the team’s performance.” 

Shedding further light on the aforementioned issues, Latif said “The central contracts that were to be signed in January were actually signed in June/July. Before the Sri Lankan tour, the players got involved in this issue – they were not sure whether to sign the contracts or not. Secondly, Misbah-ul-Haq was axed as the T20 captain and although Hafeez is his friend, you can say that there could have been a conflict. However, we cannot say anything for sure. Plus, such things happen in all the teams. Also, Pakistan’s coaching staff has also been changed which could also have affected the performance.”

When picking Pakistan’s squads for the Sri Lankan tour, the national selectors had opted to recall some tried and tested, experienced pace bowlers including Yasir Arafat and Sohail Tavir in the Twenty20 squad and Mohammad Sami in all three squads. While Yasir Arafat and Sohail Tanvir proved their selections right by performing well in the two match T20I series, Mohammad Sami’s performance on his latest international comeback can be best described as a mixed bag. 

Mohammad Sami went into the third Test with 85 wickets in 35 Test matches and could only manage to add one more to his tally of wickets by the end of the match while his bowling average rose from 52.27 to 52.74. He was subjected to heavy criticism from many, but his supporters continue to argue that he would have been more effective had he been used properly. Commenting on his performance in Sri Lanka, Rashid Latif, who is the coach of Sami’s domestic team, defended the fast bowler, stating that “Mohammad Sami would have led from the front had there been a different captain. He was selected for all the three formats but wasn’t given a central contract. The three factors that I mentioned apply on every player. Nobody knows Sami better than me. He began his career and performed well under my captaincy. The captain has control over a lot of things. Sami is a hardworking bowler and one of the fittest players in the team. They said he was unfit (after the first ODI) - I would never believe anyone who says Sami is unfit."

Pakistan lost the first Test where Mohammad Hafeez captained the side in the absence of regular captain Misbah-ul-Haq who had been suspended by the ICC for slow over-rate in the ODI series. The Sri Lankan batsmen were totally dominant as they put Pakistan on the back foot straightaway, amassing 472 runs in the first innings. Speaking of Pakistan’s performance in the first Test, Rashid Latif alluded to Pakistani batsmen’s glaring weaknesses. “In the first Test, Pakistan was unable to fight back because of the huge first innings total of Sri Lanka after winning toss and deciding to bat first. Our batsmen struggle against inswing and left-arm spin. The Sri Lankans used their left-arm spinner well and they had Kulasekara who brings the ball in to the right-handers. When the bowler pitches the ball up, our batsmen, including Hafeez, Younis, Misbah and Azhar Ali – all are candidates for leg before wicket.”

“Credit goes to the Sri Lankans - they exploited our batsmen’s weaknesses very well. Pakistan, on the other hand, requires a lot of hard work in all the three departments of the game, especially in Test cricket. We need patience and we need to work on an individual basis – work out plans against each and every player of the opposition team.”

The biggest positive for Pakistan from the Sri Lankan tour was the highly impressive performance from three youngsters, namely Junaid Khan, Asad Shafiq and Azhar Ali. While Pakistan normally does not struggle to produce quality pace bowlers for long, they always appear to be on the lookout for quality batsmen to strengthen the team’s fragile batting lineup. However, it seems as though the long wait is over and Pakistan has finally found two young batsmen with good technique and solid temperament in the shape of Asad Shafiq and Azhar Ali, both of whom scored centuries in the third Test helping Pakistan salvage a draw. They were amongst the top 3 run scorers for Pakistan in the Test series, scoring 257 and 300 runs respectively in 5 innings.

“Asad Shafiq and Azhar Ali have performed well in the last two years. These youngsters are our assets. We must groom these players and as we have to play on bouncy wickets in future, we need to iron out any flaws in their batting to prepare them for the South African tour. There’s no doubt that both of them are very good players.” 

Latif also stressed on the need to prepare replacements for senior players, adding that “Those who did not perform well in Sri Lanka are also good players, but we need to have their backups ready. What happens in our team is that a young player gets selected, spends the entire tour on the bench, comes back and gets replaced by another youngster for the next tour. We should pick potential replacements of players like Misbah, Younis and Hafeez, and keep them with the team for 14 months or so, giving them T20Is and ODI matches to play during this period. In this way, replacements will be ready for you.”

“Asad Shafiq and Azhar Ali came from our present domestic cricket system and were then kept with the senior team for quite some time. That’s why they have been able to produce the results now. There are many other young players like them in the country – you will see them prove themselves if given the opportunity” Latif concluded.