Former Pakistan captain Aamer Sohail has criticized the current national coaching department led by Misbah-ul-Haq, questioning “are they there for a pleasure trip” after the tourists’ frustration performance with the ball in the ongoing third and final Test against England in Southampton.
Slamming Pakistan’s poor bowling show that saw England declared for 583/8, Aamer also blamed the team for lack of strategy and confidence while directing shots at the coaching department as well.
His comments came after Pakistan were bundled out for 273 and were asked to follow-on in the third and final Test against England. By the end of the 4th day, they were able to put up 100/2 on board and they still need 210 runs to level the Test series with 8 wickets in the hand in Southampton.
Sohail said on his YouTube Channel: “I saw a little effort in this match from Yasir Shah. He used his driving arm better but unluckily he again conceded more than 150 runs. This has become a feature of Yasir Shah’s bowling that he is conceding more than 150 runs whenever he bowls a long spell. If your bowler concedes so many runs and doesn’t dismiss too many batsmen, your chances become very less,”
He continued, “Coming to Naseem Shah, he does not have a repeatable action. The follow-through of his arm is not consistent. And I have been saying repeatedly that it has been such a long time for our coaches but you don’t see any improvement. And when we talk about Shaheen Afridi, he should have improved but you can see a decline happening suddenly.”
On the batting department, the former batsman said: “I have been talking repeatedly about Sohail Khan. There was a reason for that. If you have to play Mohammad Abbas in a Test match just for a couple of wickets and then he doesn’t have a chance to get batsmen out with the new ball, then why are you playing him. Three batsmen are already dismissed. Let's hope that the incoming batsmen perform better. This is a very big chance for Fawad Alam. It is a very easy pitch and there is not much for the bowlers.”
Sohail signed off by saying, “So whose task is this? Why have the coaches been kept? Are they there for a pleasure trip? If they want to go on a pleasure trip, they should be sent on a world tour and let the players continue to play as they are doing.”
(With Hindustan Times Inputs)
