Pakistan's former cricket greats and fans were despondent Wednesday after their team followed last month's World Twenty20 triumph with a collapse in their first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle. "It was the fall in Galle," former Test batsman Ijaz Ahmed told AFP.
"Pakistan spurned an ideal opportunity to double the joy of World Twenty20 win and it is now Pakistan who will be under pressure rather than being 1-0 up in the series," he added. Pakistan, who beat Sri Lanka in the final to win the World Twenty20 title in England, Tuesday went down by 50 runs in the first Test at Galle, handing the hosts a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
Set a modest 168-run target, Pakistan were comfortably placed at 71-2 at the start of the fourth day. However, in a dramatic batting collapse, Pakistan lost their next eight wickets for a mere 46 runs, with left-arm spinner Rangana Herath taking four wickets for 15 runs in the innings to help his team to a hard-fought victory. Ahmed said Pakistan's team had relaxed at what it thought was the prospect of an easy win.
"It is our psyche that we get relaxed on small targets, prospects of easy wins, and that's what happened with the team," said Ahmed, who played 60 Tests and 250 one-day matches. Former fast bowler Jalaluddin Ahmed said that Pakistan had failed under pressure. "It has been a weakness of the players that their skill level drops when they come under pressure. In the whole Test, Pakistan came under pressure only on the fourth day," he said.
Former paceman Sarfraz Nawaz criticised the team selection. "Umar Gul was not fit and gave away so many runs," said Nawaz of the paceman. "Fawad Alam should have been played because he was in good form and scored runs in the side match before the Test. No one expected such a batting collapse, it was disappointing."