Absolutely terrible performance AGAIN from Pakistan. A dragged out collapse that was their fourth lowest Test score, and then their fielding did not even make amends. Pietersen should get a hundred here and dedicate it to Pakistani fielding, we should be four or more down by now and the damage limitation exercise complete, but it is one or two different faces, same story.
Did the new keeper make Akmal look poor? Nope. He emulated him wonderfully with a duck and dropped catch, something Akmal could shake off and just get on with his game, but no doubt Haider will have nightmares.
And the farcical situation with Yousuf Youhana, he may as well have played after all that. By the time he gets to bat the series will be 0-2 with two to play.
Again I have to raise question marks over the referral system which is so hit and miss it's unbelievable. It looks great when a decision is reversed, but TV are now using it for anything remotely close and proving that wrong decisions are not only being made, but going unchallenged. For me that is a big 'FAIL' for the system, it is a crowd pleasing gimmick that excuses the umpire and gives the media a new toy rather than trying to address the problem of umpiring mistakes being made and not reversed. Don't get me wrong, it's great that the ICC are willing to give technology a bash, it's just a shame this is a HALF MEASURE not the whole hog.
And are England world beaters? Nope. 4/20 for Anderson, 4/38 for Broad and 2/10 for Finn are good performances, but made to look better by the Pakistani batting. I heard references to getting used to the English conditions, but haven't they just played TWO TESTS against Australia IN ENGLAND :sarcasm - and won one of them.
Cook is a serious worry, absolutely dreadful dismissal yesterday and while you can excuse him to a degree because the bowler did him up like a kipper, why was he playing a risk shot (hook) anyway? I seem to recall a batsman, can't remember which one, deciding he'd only play the pull and not the hook. Maybe Cook should have adhered to that.
Excluding Bangladesh and West Indies, this is Cook's run of form :
PAK : 17,12,8
SAF : 1,21,55,65,118,12,15
AUS : 9,10,30,30,0,32,95,6,10
IND : 10,50,9,52
23 inns, 667 runs @ 29.00
Even with a hundred and FIVE 50s he is still not averaging 30+. THIRTEEN scores of 0-19 and that's just not good enough out of 23 knocks.
And by series between 08/09 and 2010, throwing in Bangladesh, West Indies and New Zealand, but keeping them seperate :
PAK (h) : 37 runs @ 12.33
SAF (a) : 287 runs @ 41.00
AUS (h) : 222 runs @ 24.67
IND (a) : 121 runs @ 30.25
23 inns, 667 runs @ 29.00
BAN (h) : 59 runs @ 19.67
BAN (a) : 342 runs @ 114.00
WIN (h) : 209 runs @ 104.50
WIN (a) : 384 runs @ 54.86
19 inns, 994 runs @ 66.27
As that provides an overall average of 43.71 it just goes to prove that averages are much less conclusive than they used to be with so many series against rubbish sides. I threw Pakistan in with the weaker sides in a previous comparison because Pakistani batting isn't up to much, their bowling however is much more potent. It is a major worry, quite why England's thinking isn't dynamic enough to try Cook at no 3 where he averages 52.55 I do not know.
Add to that Pietersen's form and there is a lot to worry about for the series down under. Pietersen is lucky to have been given lives in this Test, it will be a laugh if he goes on to a match winning hundred and finds form
PAK : 36no,22,9
SAF : 12,7,6,0,31,81,40
AUS : 44,32,8,69
IND : 144,1,4
17 inns, 546 runs @ 34.13
Ironically he averages better than Cook in the same series yet Pietersen is the one getting stick. Sure he hasn't scored a hundred since that 144 in India, but fell ONE short in Bangladesh only in March. And runs are runs, volume is just as important as size of ONE innings which can be accompanied with lots of failures (Cook)
PAK (h) : 67 runs @ 33.50
SAF (a) : 177 runs @ 25.29
AUS (h) : 153 runs @ 38.25
IND (a) : 149 runs @ 49.67
17 inns, 546 runs @ 34.13
BAN (h) : 92 runs @ 46.00
BAN (a) : 250 runs @ 83.33
WIN (h) : 49 runs @ 24.50
WIN (a) : 406 runs @ 58.00
17 inns, 797 runs @ 56.93
Owzat added 2 Minutes and 30 Seconds later...
Of course it is more important to score runs in the big series as plenty will help themselves against Bangladesh etc and the bowlers will have more success so there isn't so much need for runs in those series
:??
They need guys like Yousuf, Younis and Fawad Alam in their batting line up. Need to drop Farhat, overhyped Amin and Shoaib Malik.
