Pakistan was decimated to all intents and purposes by a resilent Australian outfit playing at Perth before their own crowd, which was enjoying the game, whether the hosts were batting or bowling. The disaster in the first Test of the three-match series was due entirely to amateurish or puerile, instead of professional, batting. It was not that Glenn McGrath, an exponent of the fascinating art of pace bowling, smothered to death the available assemblage-or whatever mixture of youth and experience was selected and sent to Australian to challenge the world champions in their backyard-in the second venture.
In the first inning McGrath had only the scalp of Shoaib Akhtar to his belt and Micheal Kasprowicz, who was responsible for Australian's loss to New Zealand in the first one-dayer, swept away the best batsmen of the visiting side, except Younus Khan, Abdul Razzaq, Muhammad Sami and Shoaib Akhtar for a score of 179, a small one when compared to Australian's 381 in the first knock. It was poor, tentative and meek batsmanship that let Pakistan down.
Pakistan could not have escaped defeat after Australia did not enforce the follow-on but the fans of the game expected some solid resistance to go down fighting with a respectable score of above 300. At least that would have consoled the followers of the game in a duel against the strongest combination of present day world cricket.
The batting was sickening to the eye as if school boys had been thrown before famishing tigers. There is no point in England-based coach Bob Woolmer saying that the Pakistani pack is suffering from "mental confusion and awe" when facing the Australian pace attack. His suggestion of calling in a sports psychologist in a bid to revive the team's sagging spirit is really astonishing and uncalled for. Veteran former Test players would laugh at Woolmer's remark for what the coach was doing with the players. The warmup matches were a clear warning to the touring squad and the coach was unjustified in pointing out that the batting lacked the technique to cope with the tyranny of the Australian speed merchants plus the spin sorcery of Shane Warne. What the coach, drawing heavy monthly emolument, did to remove the limitations in batting methodology, particularly on the bouncy wickets Down Under.
Woolmer had been accused last week by former chief trainer and legendary batsman Javed Miandad of not knowing the Pakistani "cricket culture." Woolmer went on to say that it was an abject, toothless performance, very disappointing.
There was a combination of the technical and mental side involved in the way the team members played in that particular second innings.
The coach said, "We need the guys to get in, spend 30 minutes at the crease and then start making shots square of the wicket, but it's not happening. We can't make excuses."
Miandad was given the opportunity to hit back at Woolmer and said the coach had insulted the players by remarking that they had mental problems. The boys needed motivation and not criticism from the coach as they have a long and strenuous tour ahead in Australia.
Miandad thought by using the words mentally disturbed people the coach had insulted not only the players but the whole nation. He asked the cricket board to take notice of such statements and advise Woolmer to concentrate on his work, which is correcting the flaws in batting of the team members.
Former captain and one of the finest all-rounders that the country has produced, Imran Khan, regretted the inept batsmen produced by a faulty cricket system.
"It's deplorable to see Pakistan being thrashed and humiliated like that in Australia," said Imran.
He stressed the need of reshaping the system as unless it was altered it was difficult to get the right result against dangerous fast bowling.
However, many cricket watchers may ask Imran as to which structure is being followed domestically? It were his own suggested ones that the board officialdom changed time and again. The country needs bouncy strips as well as sporting ones to make the home batsmen adjust to conditions in cricket-playing countries. Besides, the base has to be laid from the grassroots level as in Sri Lanka which has the most organised inter-School and inter-college contests. The discovery of young players with sound technique is not difficult in that system. Why can't Pakistan follow the Sri Lankan model?
Coming back to the Perth Test cricket enthusiasts are completely surprised as to why Pakistani bowlers could not press hard when Australia was reeling at 78 for five. They had the weaponry to give the "kill blow" to the Aussies. Why the bowlers could not strike fire in the Test match? The occasion did not inspire them to perform at the optimum and beyond their stature. Australia had certainly been pushed to the wall. Accepted that they are now the best global side and have the capacity for revival at critical stage and in a crucial engagement. Yet who had the golden opportunity to pin down the adversary? Pakistan or Australia? It goes to the credit of Justin Langer and Adam Gilchrist to put red blood carpusles in their innings and later maul the Pakistani attack as they liked. The Pakistani captain, Inzamamul Haq, could not properly guide and motivate his players on the field. Why Danish Kaneria, a slow bowler, was brought to operate on a bouncy pitch?
The Australians enjoyed hitting him right and left. The captain was lacking in ideas. The Australians plundered runs and knocked up a score of 381 which was a good enough foundation for their victory.
Nevertheless, taken in totality it was not the bowling that failed it were the batsmen who were found wanting against pace bowling of the finest quality. In the second knock McGrath was magnificent. His swing bowling, with control over line and length, may be compared to the thunderbolts of Lindwall and Lillee, who used to destroy batting lines on any field. His 8 wickets for 24 were the second best by on Australian in a Test match since Arthur Mailey took 9 wickets for 121 at Melbourne in the 1920-21 Ashes Test against England.
Pakistan's 72 in the second venture was the fourth lowest in a Test against Australia.
The Kangaroos ran away with the first Test honours by a huge margin of 491 runs. Pakistan may have lost by an innings but Australia did not enforce the follow-on. It was a humiliating defeat for Pakistan, and we all the countrymen should bow our heads in shame.
The chairman of the cricket board, Shaharyar M. Khan, unswayed by the big slap on the face of the Pakistan squad, has said that he will not make any change in the side in haste despite the disappointing loss to Australia, adding there is no issue of captaincy.
This when the skipper is unable to set a good example of leadership and batting (0 and 1 in the two innings.)
Pray to god that the outfit puts up a better show in the next Test.