Visiting Pakistan national cricket team took the field immediately on Monday to prepare them trying to resist any further embarrassment in the ongoing series against Bangladesh. Pakistan face an unprecedented clean-sweep loss to Bangladesh after two comprehensive defeats in the first two matches of the series. The visitors were not motivated to practice after their loss in the opening match that ended their 16-year unbeaten run against Bangladesh.
But with the series already lost they could not afford to sit idle and wait for further humiliation in the third and final one-dayer on Wednesday.
The Pakistan Cricket Board had already called a meeting on Monday to take a close look at the team’s performance while the coaching staff took their charges to their limit during their three-hour long practice session at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium and its adjacent indoor.
The mood of the team looked gloomy to say the least which was evident in the fact that they were not inclined to entertain any autograph hunters unlike some other days.
Coach Waqar Younis did his best to lift the morale of the side, which their former greats said was at an all time low.
‘It’s disappointing to lose the matches but people need to understand that it’s a new team under a new captain and it will take time to reestablish them,’ Waqar told reporters.
‘You need to move forward because if you look behind you won’t be anywhere,’ said Waqar.
‘It’s all right that there were difficulties and you won’t find positive players easily,’ he said, adding: I accept what the critics are saying: Pakistan cricket is facing problems.’
Waqar urged the team to change their playing style and take the similar approach that other teams adapted in the recent times.
‘We need to change the way we play cricket,’ he said. ‘We have been playing defensive cricket for too long and it will take time to get over our system. It was seen in the World Cup too,’ he said.
Paceman Umar Gul, who came as a late replacement of Ehsan Adil, spent a busy time at the nets while batting coach Grant Flower spent an hour with Fawad Alam trying to teach him how to go after the spinners.
Rahat Ali was the only player absent in the training for a hamstring injury but Waqar confirmed there is no need to push the panic button.
‘He sustained a hamstring and did not practice today. But there is not much to worry as he is under medical supervision. He just has some niggles and that’s it,’ said Waqar.
Four World Cup squad members – pacemen Ehsan Adil and Sohail Khan, leg-spinner Yasir Shah and batsman Sohaib Maqsood – were earlier declared unfit and ruled out of the tour with injuries.
-With New Age input