KARACHI: Emphasising that lack of planning led to disaster for Babar Azam and his men in the Asia Cup, former Pakistan captain Aamir Sohail on Tuesday said the green-shirts must develop the habit of striking the iron while it is hot.

“Lack of planning dented Pakistan’s campaign in Sri Lanka for which the captain and the entire team management should share the blame equally,” Aamir said while talking to Dawn from Lahore.

“We should have won the [close] Super Four match against Sri Lanka. At the same time, we should acknowledge that India played outstanding cricket throughout the Asia Cup and were well-deserved winners.”

Moreover, Aamir insisted, Pakistan must develop the acumen to strike at the right time to win big contests.

“Pakistan missed the killer instinct in the Asia Cup. After restricting India to 66-4 [in group stage match], our team should have gone for the kill but unfortunately our spinners stru­ggled to make inroads,” he recalled. Openers and spin bowling, Aamir reckoned, were the areas which Pakistan needed to work on.

“Our openers and spinners could not do well in the Asia Cup for which the support staff should be held responsible. The spinners, particularly in the middle overs, should have given the team breakthroughs, which they could not,” he said.

Aamir, who worked as a TV commentator during the Asia Cup, said spin would determine Pakistan’s position in the World Cup starting in India on Oct 5.

“Spinners will have a major role on most Indian pitches during the World Cup,” the former left-handed opener underlined. “Therefore, I think how our spinners bowl, mainly during the middle overs, plus the way our batters handle the opponent team’s spinners will specify Pakistan’s position at the World Cup.

“In this regard, the way the available resources are utilised timely will be the key. Our batters and spinners should complement each other; both should know their targets whether the team is chasing a target or defending a total,” the 57-year-old stated.

According to Aamir, Pakistan were definitely among the World Cup favourites along with England, Australia, India and Sri Lanka, and need no major overhaul before the ODI showpiece. “No wholesale changes [in the team] are required. Having said this, it will be a matter of managing the first-choice players and the bench players who will be required in case frontline campaigners fail to click at the big stage.”

When asked to comment on all-rounder Shadab Khan who has been criticised widely for a string of poor shows particularly with the ball should be retained for the World Cup, Aamir, who also worked as national chief selector, said the leg-spinner required guidance.

“Shadab has performed well for Pakistan and should not be replaced in haste [just before the World Cup],” he said. “If he could not bowl well in the Asia Cup [or before that], the root cause of the dip in form be looked into and he should be guided by the support staff accordingly.

“To me, Shadab is gripping the ball very tightly which is locking his wrist and as a result he is not getting the spin and delivering [unintentional] full-pitched balls,” Aamir, a member of the 1992 World Cup-winning team, highlighted.

Commenting on Pakistan’s struggling batting department, the former Test cricketer agreed new faces in ODIs were required.

“Yes, both [Test batters] Abdullah Shafique and Saud Shakeel should be selected to the World Cup squad; both of them possess solid technique.”

On whether wicket-keeper Mohammad Rizwan should be kept at number four in ODIs, Aamir said, “Yes, he is doing a fantastic job at this position, tackling spinners smartly in middle overs. There is no need to change.”

Injuries have hit the Pakistan camp badly recently, frontline fast bowlers Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf being the prime victims.

In this regard, Aamir feels Dr Faisal should be brought back by the PCB.

“Dr Faisal, who is a very efficient physio and holds vast experience, should be recalled by the PCB. He can definitely handle the matters better. Players in the past were also satisfied with his work,” Aamir said.

On being asked to comment on Babar’s leadership which was slammed — at times strongly — during crucial stages of the Asia Cup, Aamir had his own view.

“Babar was made [national] captain prematurely, but cannot be abruptly removed from the position. Now after a couple of years, he at a crucial stage needs help and guidance,” he said. “On his part, Babar as a leader must be proactive to overcome the challenges at the big stage.”

‘PAKISTAN LACK TECHNICAL ACUMEN’

Meanwhile, another former Test skipper and batting legend Javed Miandad said Pakistan cricketers lacked basic techniques due to which they struggled in tough competitions, including the Asia Cup.

“The current Indian team played very well to win the Asia Cup. Most of their cricketers have better techniques which they acquire at club and academy levels which their system working on solid footing provides. Whereas in Pakistan many players at the top level lack in technical sphere,” Miandad said when he was approached by Dawn for his comments on Pakistan team’s dismal show in Sri Lanka.

“Same is the case with England which made overhauled their cricketing system in recent years, and it is now producing top-class homegrown players.”

On current Pakistan batters’ frailty against top-level spin, Miandad, the master of Pakistan’s victory in the 1992 World Cup, said the country must improve its grassroots cricket to overcome this fault.

“As I said, we are currently short of technically sound players. School, college, university and club cricket produced world-class players in Pakistan for decades. These levels simply no more exist in our system. As a result, our players at the international stage struggle to perform.”

Responding to a query on Pakistan’s World Cup prospects, Miandad had a brief but clear response: “The players need to be strong [mentally]. This will help them a lot.”

Published in Dawn, September 20th, 2023