Speaking exclusively to PakPassion.net, former Pakistan opening batsman Sadiq Mohammad was of the opinion that Pakistan's batsmen were to blame for the heavy defeat at the MCG.

by Saj Sadiq

30th December 2009

Speaking exclusively to PakPassion.net, former Pakistan opening batsman Sadiq Mohammad was of the opinion that Pakistan's batsmen were to blame for the heavy defeat at the MCG.

"I was very disappointed and I would term Pakistan's batting in Melbourne as a failure. Yes there were some glimpses of brilliance, in that Umar Akmal looked good, Yousuf was very good in both his innings, Misbah did very well in the first innings and Salman Butt got starts. However, to do well in test cricket, the batting needs to click collectively which Pakistan's batting didn't do", stated Sadiq.

Sadiq felt that the Pakistani batsmen need to take a leaf out of their Australian counterparts. "The Australian batsmen laid the foundations for their team's victory in the first innings by batting as a unit and all of them got set and scored heavily. They ensured that the tempo for the match was set by their batting in the first innings".

Sadiq who played 41 tests for Pakistan and scored 5 centuries and 10 half centuries added "There was far too much pressure on Pakistan skipper Mohammad Yousuf, due to the failure of the batting. I could sense that Yousuf was very restricted and under pressure and didn't feel comfortable in going for his shots".

Sadiq who had a stint for Tasmania during his playing career further added "Salman Butt and Imran Farhat played some false shots when they were out leg before. An opener should play with a straight bat wherever possible and it was frustating to see our batsmen play across the line to straight deliveries".

Responding to a question about who he thought should be in Australia opening the innings for Pakistan, Sadiq stated "I have no problems with Salman Butt opening in test cricket, however there are better players than Imran Farhat in Pakistan and they should be given a chance. It's about time that someone like Asad Shafiq of Karachi Blues, or Azeem Ghumman the Pakistan Under 19 captain were given a chance. Another opener who I would recommend to the selectors would be Naeemuddin of Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited who is a fine opening batsman. These boys need to be given a run of matches and not just discarded if they fail once or twice".