DUBAI // After another taxing day in the life of Pakistan cricket, one former playing great-turned-commentator mused on the capabilities of the team at stumps here.
“Pakistan’s batting starts at Younis Khan, and ends at Misbah-ul-Haq,” he joked.
Meaning the batting line-up starts at No 4 and ends, summarily, at No 5. Tongue in cheek the statement may have been, but many a true word is said in jest and he was only saying what the majority were thinking.
So Younis and Misbah are asked to don their tin hats, and bat for two days to save Pakistan.
Is it always this way, or does it just feel like it?
Of course, they have picked the right men to repair the damage. This was the ninth time this dynamic – if a little dated – duo have added in excess of 100 together in Test matches, compared to just one other 50 partnership.
No wonder they have such a fine record in alliance. They get enough practise at batting together with their side on 19 for three. Too much, most would argue.
“I tried to fightback,” Younis said. “It is always good when the senior guys perform when the team need their performances.”
Which it is, of course.
But it would be more helpful if the rest could make a sustained contribution, too, especially when battling a first-innings deficit of 223, as they are here.
The top order is back to being a write-off, though. It feels like it has always been so, but there have been times when Pakistan’s openers have actually succeeded at the same time.
As recently as mid-October, Khurram Manzoor and Shan Masood put on 135 for the first wicket against the world’s best bowling attack, South Africa.
Then one or the other goes and has one bad match, they get the cold shoulder by the selectors and someone else is thrown in and told to succeed, quick.
With backing like that, no wonder they look more jittery than hedgehogs trying to cross the Al Khail Road when they are at the crease.
“They are both new to Test cricket, especially Ahmed Shahzad [who debuted in the first Test in Abu Dhabi,” Younis said of his side’s openers in this Test.
“I think you must give some time to guys like Ahmed and Khurram Manzoor, who has been doing well and has some experience of Test cricket now.
“Given time they will learn from their mistakes and I think they will be good in Test cricket.”
Younis, whose side trail by 91 with seven second-innings wickets remaining, offers a decent template for the young players to imitate.
His innings of 63 not out here only contained four boundaries. He eschewed risk for the duration of his 142 ball vigil, but why not?
“It is simple – you have to stay on the pitch and play according to the situation,” he said.
“It is always good batting with Misbah, we just take singles and try to catch the good times, similar to when I used to have good partnerships with [Mohammed] Yousuf.”
Pakistan have their tireless bowling attack to thank for the fact that they are still clinging on to some hope in this match.
In particular, Junaid Khan and Saeed Ajmal, with five wickets between them, helped bring about Sri Lanka’s collapse from 320 for four overnight to 388 all out by lunch on day three.
With two days still remaining, the Sri Lankans are still well-placed to force a win, possibly even only batting once in the process. But Graham Ford, their coach, pointed out that there are still two significant impediments to their progress.
“This pair [Misbah and Younis] have played extremely well,” the South African coach said.
“They are class players as they showed in the last Test match. Unfortunately they have come in and played extremely tightly, but hopefully tomorrow morning there will be a little bit more in the wicket after the overnight freshness.”
pradley@thenational.ae
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