Pakistan’s head coach Saqlain Mushtaq fell short of calling the surface in Rawalpindi a lifeless one but said it should definitely have been more “supportive” to the home team’s bowlers on Day 1 of the Test series against England.
Winning the toss and opting to bat first, the tourists continued their newfound aggressive ways under coach Brendon McCullum and Bazball’d their way to a jaw-dropping 506/4 in just 75 overs before the bad light stopped play.
Four of England’s top 5 players recorded centuries, with openers Zak Crawley (122) and Ben Duckett (107) stitching a magnificent opening stand of 233 runs before the middle-order duo of Ollie Pope (108) and Harry Brook (101*) took the three lions past the gigantic figure of 500 alongside skipper Ben Stokes (34*).
Curiously, modern-day giant Joe Root (23) was the only player to miss out on a track meant for players to get in and score big runs as Pakistan paid dearly for the absence of Shaheen Afridi and Yasir Shah in an insipid bowling performance.
Debutants Mohammad Ali (1/96) and Zahid Mahmood (2/160) bowled on both sides of the wicket, which meant easy pickings for the English batters and life significantly tougher for Naseem Shah (0/96) and Haris Rauf (1/78), who, too, was making his Test debut.
Speaking to the press after a sorry day’s work with the ball, Mushtaq admitted England managed to “outclass” the hosts’ attack throughout the day but said he expected the surface to be more “supportive” of them, which may have made their task slightly more comfortable.
“England played very well today, and we could not bowl according to our plan. There was also a problem with the pitch, and I think it should have been more supportive. They just outclassed us, and we must credit them. No doubt, England played well on the first day, but we should (not) think about the result as of yet,”
he said.
With Rauf and Naseem being out-and-out quicks, operating in excess of 145 clicks in short bursts, Mushtaq said, Pakistan needed one of their other bowlers to hold an end up and not go for more than two and a half runs an over.
The expectations were that medium fast-bowler Ali would be able to provide Pakistan the control and consistency they needed to ensure Rauf and Naseem can run in with steam and do the job with reverse swing. But he failed miserably at it, as did wristspinner Mahmood.
“Both the players were bowling brilliantly in the camp and were doing what they were supposed to do. We needed a bowler who can bowl in long spells with Haris and Naseem. But credit goes to England who had planned well against us,”
Mushtaq added.
England’s day out with the bat has put PCB and its regime under scrutiny, too, with fans asking questions of chairman Ramiz Raja, who had promised to alter the flat nature of the surfaces across the country. No lessons seem to be learnt from Pakistan’s struggles to dislodge the Australians earlier in the year, before they upstaged the hosts to a 1-0 series triumph.
With Pakistan due to host England and New Zealand in five Tests over next six weeks as part of the World Test Championship, there will be pressure on the organisers to ensure greater parity and contest between bat and ball in terms of the conditions.
