Saud Shakeel says ‘difficult conditions’ contributing to Pakistan’s batting woes

Pakistan batter Saud Shakeel believes the “difficult conditions” encountered by his side in England have contributed to their repeated batting collapses, saying the amount of lateral movement on offer has made batting considerably harder than it appeared from the outside. Pakistan were bowled out for 133 in just 33. 5 overs on the opening day of the third Test at Edgbaston on Wednesday, their fifth consecutive innings in the series in which they failed to reach 200. England finished the day on 156-4, taking a 23-run lead after Pakistan had briefly threatened a fightback with the ball. Saud, who top-scored with 43, acknowledged that Pakistan’s batsmen had to accept responsibility for their repeated failures but said the conditions in the first two Tests and at Edgbaston had been more challenging than those encountered by New Zealand during their tour of England earlier this year. “I was myself a little surprised by the conditions when I saw the first two Tests, ” Saud said after play. “If you look at the New Zealand series that took place here earlier this year and the pitches they played on, and then compare them with the two pitches we have played on, there has been a lot more lateral movement here. “Perhaps we are not as accustomed to playing in these conditions. ” Pakistan were reduced to 26-4 inside the opening 10 overs after England opted to bowl in overcast conditions, with Saim Ayub, Azan Awais, Abdullah Shafique and Shan Masood all dismissed cheaply. Captain Babar Azam followed for seven to leave Pakistan 48-5 before Saud and the lower order could offer any resistance. Saud said the early period of the innings had been particularly important because the surface was expected to become easier for batting as the day progressed. “There was a little moisture in the pitch early on and the overcast conditions were helping their bowlers, ” he said. “That was a period we needed to get through. If we had put together a few partnerships, the pitch got better later and batting became easier. ” Pakistan’s top-order collapse was not, however, something Saud sought to explain entirely through the conditions. “We are making the same mistake repeatedly as a batting unit. We are getting out in bunches, ” he said. “Some of the dismissals today were soft as well. We need to work on that. ” The 31-year-old also rejected the suggestion that Pakistan’s struggles were primarily the result of their players spending too much time playing franchise leagues. “I don’t think leagues have that much influence, ” he said. “We have to accept responsibility as a batting group. We have not played well. ” But he maintained that conditions had to be taken into account when assessing the extent of Pakistan’s batting problems. “If your form goes a little up and down in these kinds of conditions, it becomes difficult to come out of that, ” he said. Saud pointed to England’s own batting struggles early in their innings as evidence that Pakistan were not the only side finding the conditions awkward. England lost Ben Duckett, Jordan Cox and Joe Root for 39, with Pakistan’s seamers exploiting the same movement that had troubled the tourists earlier in the day. Root, who has more than 14, 000 Test runs, was dismissed for eight by debutant Razaullah. “Even if you look at Joe Root, who is such an experienced batter, if he gets caught in difficult situations, he also gets out, ” Saud said. If Pakistan’s batting provided yet another source of concern, the performance of Razaullah offered something for the team to build on. The 21-year-old, playing only his ninth first-class match and making his Test debut amid a sweeping overhaul of the Pakistan side, claimed two wickets and bowled with the kind of pace and aggression that Saud believes the team has been missing. Razaullah struck with only his fourth delivery in Test cricket, trapping Root lbw for eight, before returning later in the day to dismiss Emilio Gay and finish with 2-42 from nine overs. He repeatedly touched around 90mph. Saud said Pakistan needed more fast bowlers capable of maintaining genuine pace. “We need them a lot, ” he said. “We have had bowlers who come in early and bowl at 90-plus, but after a certain time their pace drops a little, or they don’t prefer playing Test cricket. That has been a big issue for us. ” The batter also argued that raw pace could make up for Razaullah’s relative lack of experience, provided Pakistan manage his development properly. “For express fast bowlers like him, even if they haven’t played a lot of first-class cricket, it doesn’t matter as much, ” he said. “Their raw talent and raw pace can be useful, as we saw today with Raza. ” The challenge now, Saud said, was to ensure that Pakistan’s coaches and senior players knew how to use those qualities. “It is about how we can guide him, how well the senior players and coaching staff can give him a plan so that we can make the most of his pace, ” he said. Razaullah’s intervention had briefly given Pakistan hope after England slipped to 39-3, but Harry Brook and Gay then put the hosts back in control with a 104-run fourth-wicket stand. Gay eventually fell for 60 to Razaullah, while Brook remained unbeaten on 52 at stumps. Pakistan’s own innings had been rescued only partially by Saud, who scored 43 off 47 balls, with Mohammad Abbas making 21 and the last-wicket pair adding 26. Josh Tongue took 4-42, while Ollie Robinson and Jofra Archer claimed three wickets each. Saud, who had also top-scored with 97 in Pakistan’s first innings at Lord’s, said his increasingly aggressive approach was simply an attempt to respond to the situation in front of him. “I try to play according to what the situation demands, ” he said. “Today, when I saw that my partners were getting out and everything was happening, the best option was to score as many runs as I could. That was the intent. ” For Pakistan, however, the conditions argument can only go so far. England have exploited the movement far more effectively, while Pakistan have now failed to reach 200 in each of their last five innings in the series. Saud believes the game is nevertheless not beyond Pakistan. “We started well with the ball, ” he said. “If we can get them out early in the morning, there is still a good chance we can get back into the game. ”

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