Pakistan toured Australia for the first time in 1964. It was
a one-off eight-ball-over Test match where Hanif Mohammad’s men returned home
after earning a respectable draw. It was a series where batsmen from both sides
scored runs on the Melbourne track.
Hanif scored a hundred followed by a ninety while Barry
Shepherd, Bob Cowper, Brian Booth and Tom Vievers notched up half-centuries.
Graham Mckenzie and Neil Hawk bowled well and it was Ian Chappell’s debut Test
where he managed to fetch just eleven runs.
Pakistan returned to Australia in the 1972-73 season.
Overall, it was a disastrous tour. The poor temperament of the Pakistan batsmen
ensured a 3-0 whitewash. But the next two tours were praiseworthy enough for
the visitors as the charismatic bowling displays of Imran Khan and Sarfraz
Nawaz enabled them to notch-up 1-1 draws.
Dismal
record Down Under
Since
the 80s until now, the story of an Australian tour has been a sad one for the
men in green. During 1989-90 and 1999-00, Imran Khan and Wasim Akram’s men set
foot on Australian soil with high hopes, but on both occasions, their hopes
were shattered.
Even
though Pakistan’s success in limited-overs cricket is good, in Test matches,
it’s a completely different story. The last time Pakistan won a Test match in
Australia was twenty-one years ago and overall, they have won just four Test
matches Down Under which is pretty dismal.
Slumping
against New Zealand
Misbah-ul -Haq’s
men earned the status of being the best Test team in the world after winning
the final Test at the Oval, but their stay at the top didn’t last long after
being humiliated against New Zealand who had just returned home after
completing a torrid tour of India. Pakistan had not lost a Test series in New
Zealand since 1984-85, but that record was breached last month in a very
humiliating fashion.
The
Test series against New Zealand was supposed to be a great opportunity to boost
the confidence for the tough assignment against the Kangaroos. Sadly, the
Pakistani batting failed to act according to the situation and surrendered
meekly which was quite unexpected.
The
approach of the Pakistani batsmen in New Zealand was very negative. They
decided to switch to an ultra-defensive mode and in each session, the scoring
rate was so sluggish, it automatically created huge pressure on the remaining
batsmen and when they tried to come out of their shells, they all succumbed. In
the second Test, Pakistan lost ten wickets for 99 runs and it all happened due
to one of the worst displays of ultra-defensive batting.
Keys to
success
The
wait-and-watch game or the ultra-defensive mode won’t fetch runs consistently
in Australia. To succeed as a batsman on tracks like Brisbane or Melbourne, a
batsman should be able to create scoring opportunities. There are very few
loose balls that show up, and hence, it is very important to utilise the proper
technique to score runs against those balls that are slightly over-pitched or
short.
If
one notices Pakistan’s most successful tours in Australia during the 1976-77
and 1978-79 seasons, it was the positive batting of Majid Khan and Asif Iqbal
which set the tone for the rest of the sessions and gave Imran and Sarfraz the
boost to go for the kill.
Pakistan’s
success in Australia will depend on how they bat and it will be the duty of
Younis Khan and Misbah to show this young team how to withstand the pace and
bounce hard f the Australian wickets.
Pakistan’s
bowling line-up has always been good, but seldom have they created an impact
Down Under, except for Imran and Sarfraz. Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis and Shoaib
Akhtar were inconsistent performers – the five-wicket hauls came, but they were
few and far between and hardly mattered in the long run.
Bowling
in Australia in Test matches is not just about pac e and aggression, but
discipline. A fast bowler must be able to bowl six balls out of six at a
deceptive pace on a length short enough to prevent the batsmen from playing
forward, yet full enough to gain late movement through the air and off the
wicket and by swing, curve, angle or cut find the edge of the bat.
Mohammad
Amir, Wahab Riaz, Rahat Ali, Sohail Khan and Imran Khan junior are good pace
bowlers, but they are not consistent. The best way to handle such pacers is by
using them in short spells and rotate them smartly. Misbah must bear in mind,
his strike bowler is Yasir Shah, who can be extremely useful on Australian
pitches like Mushtaq Ahmed and thus, he needs to fit the right pacer to bowl in
tandem with him so that the pressure is never released.
Again,
Pakistan cannot afford to drop catches or exhibit sloppy fielding. Amir will
definitely give Pakistan the opportunity with the new ball, but if the slip
cordon fails to grasp the chances, it won’t help the side at all.
Misbah
sounded confident about doing well in Australia, but deep down he is well aware
of how tough it will be to fulfil his dreams as, after the defeat against South
Africa, Steve Smith and his men will be looking to bounce back and pummel the opposition
into submission. They showed their intentions against New Zealand in the
Chappell-Hadlee trophy and they look to be charged up and ready to go against a
country that has a dismal record in Australia.
Surely
Misbah’s task won’t be easy and to win in Australia, he needs to constantly
attack.
Note:
This article has been published at Sportskeeda on 14/02/2016 Pakistan need to be disciplined to fare well in Australia
Thank You
Faisal Caesar
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