Mohammad Yousuf advised young players like Abdullah Shafiq and Saud Shakeel not to play baseball style cricket because not all teams can bat like England in Tests. The former Pakistan batsman stated that solid technique and patience are prerequisites for batsmen to do well in international cricket.
Pakistan bowled Australia by 360 runs in Perth in the opening Test of the three-match series. This was Pakistan’s 15th consecutive defeat in a Test match on Australian soil. After the Australians made 487 runs first, the visitors were bowled out for 271. Australia declared their second innings at 233/5 after which Pakistan succumbed to 89 all out in their second innings.
In an interview with Pakistan Cricket, ahead of the Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), Yousuf stressed the importance of batsmen tightening up their technique, especially for those touring Australia for the first time.
“they [Abdullah Shafique, Saud Shakeel] “I went to Australia for the first time,” Youssef said. “Many players are struggling. You have to be technically sound, have a strong fighting spirit, maintain a strong technique, and work patiently on the field.”
Explaining the reasons why Pakistan should not try to replicate England’s aggressive model of using the willow in Test cricket, the former batsman added:
“Look, the ‘buzzball’ cricket we hear is played by England, other teams don’t play that way. Yes, if necessary, judge the wicket, adapt to the conditions, see how the bowler plays the ball. Based on that, if you feel you can “Play hard, play hard. If the ball doesn’t help you play aggressively, how can you play hard?”
Imam-ul-Haq was the only Pakistani batsman to score a half-century in the Perth Test. He contributed 62 off 199 balls in the first innings.
“Our children are psychologically fine” – Muhammad Youssef
While Pakistan looked under pressure in the first Test against Australia, Yousuf does not believe they have a problem with the mental side of the game.
He stressed the importance of having the right technique and commented:
“In my opinion, our boys are fine mentally. If you meet them, you will find that they are in good shape mentally. It is a great advantage to have the right approach. This is an acknowledged fact. Our approach must be correct from top to bottom.” This will be important Very important, so a lot of work will be done here, which is why this point is repeated again and again to focus on first-class cricket. “
After the Boxing Day encounter, Australia and Pakistan will meet in the New Year’s Test in Sydney from January 3-7.