'Making same mistakes again': Saud Shakeel frustrated after Birmingham collapse

BIRMINGHAM: Middle-order batter Saud Shakeel admitted Pakistan’s batting unit was disappointed after repeating the same mistakes in the first innings of the third Test against England at Edgbaston.

Pakistan were bowled out for 133 after losing wickets in clusters, allowing England to finish the day on 156-4 and take a 23-run lead.

During the media conference, Shakeel said the team had made a strong effort but continued to make the same batting mistakes.

“Yes, it is a little disappointing. We are making the same mistakes again and again as a batting unit. We are getting out in clusters, and today we were a little soft. We are making a lot of effort; it is not that we are not trying. It is just that the same mistakes are being repeated, which is a little disappointing,” Shakeel said.

The middle-order batter also defended Pakistan’s batting order and explained the decision to bat first after losing the toss. He pointed out that Shan Masood and Abdullah Shafique have experience of batting in the middle order and should not necessarily be viewed only as openers.

“I have been answering this question for a long time. Shan [Masood] is playing in the middle, and if you look at Abdullah’s [Shafique] domestic cricket last year, he was playing one down. It is not that they are openers. I know you asked a question related to the pitch,” he said.

Shakeel acknowledged that there was some movement for the bowlers early in the innings but believed Pakistan could have benefited from batting through that difficult period, with conditions expected to improve later.

“This pitch was expected to get better with time. There was a little juice in the pitch early on, and we did not have the toss in our hands, but we lost it. When we batted first, the conditions favoured the bowlers at that time. There was also an overcast condition, so I think that was the time when, if we had put together a good partnership, the pitch would have become better for batting later on,” he added.

Shakeel also highlighted England’s struggles against Pakistan’s new-ball attack, suggesting that Pakistan had an opportunity to put themselves in a stronger position had they capitalised on the early conditions.

“Even if you look at our bowling with the new ball, England’s openers were struggling again today. They were two or three wickets down early on, so that period was important for us,” he said.

Meanwhile, he praised young fast bowler Razaullah for making an impressive Test debut and bringing genuine pace to Pakistan’s bowling attack. Razaullah claimed the wickets of England captain Joe Root and Emilio Gay while repeatedly bowling at speeds above 140km/h.

The middle-order batter stressed the importance of developing and managing express fast bowlers, saying Pakistan have struggled in recent years to maintain a consistent supply of quicks capable of operating at high speeds.

“I think there is a lot of need to think about this. We have bowlers who come to us bowling at 90mph or above, but after a while, their pace also comes down a little, or they do not prefer to play Test cricket. So, I think it is a very big issue that we have faced in the past few years,” Shakeel said.

“Having express fast bowlers is important, and even if they do not play much first-class cricket, their raw talent and pace can be useful, as we saw with Razaullah today,” he added.

Shakeel said Pakistan’s focus should now be on providing Razaullah and other young fast bowlers with the right guidance and workload management to help them make the most of their natural ability.

“Now it is about how we can guide them. As senior players and coaching staff, we need to give them a good plan so that we can work with them and make the most of their pace,” he concluded.