Latif said that there is no purpose of beating Zimbabwe in Tests.
Pakistan registered a comfortable 2-0 win against Zimbabwe in the recently concluded Test series. After defeating Pakistan for the first time ever in T20Is, Zimbabwe was not able to turn matches in their favour as the subcontinental side ended up winning both series.
Even after Pakistan’s comfortable victory in Test series, former skipper Rashid Latif was not happy as he not only felt that the national cricket team should play Test series against stronger oppositions but also questioned the purpose of such series against weaker teams.
“What is the purpose of such a series? It is good that Pakistan has got to play Test matches but in future the PCB must look at scheduling matches against stronger teams. We must not be afraid to match up against them,” Latif said.
As Pakistan does not play bilateral series against their arch-rivals India due to political tension between the two countries, the former wicket-keeper batsman said that the Green Army needs to play Tests against teams like New Zealand, England, South Africa and Australia.
“When we face England, Australia and New Zealand, increase the Test matches because people want to see those two teams play. Don't worry about winning and losing matches. We are already not playing against India and there are only five or six other teams that we should play,” the 52-year-old said.
Former Pakistan cricketer Ramiz Raja was also extremely saddened by Zimbabwe’s performance and was of the opinion that the African nation should focus white-ball cricket.
“It's sad to see Zimbabwe's current state because they were a very competitive team back in the day. I hope they do well in the future but for now, they should not play Test cricket and concentrate only on white-ball cricket,” Raja said.
(With PTI inputs)