‘Not sure if I've seen worse attack on our shores’

Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting came down hard on the Pakistan bowling attack after the second day's play in the Pink ball Test in Adelaide on Saturday. Ponting feels Pakistan have come to Australia with one of the worse bowling attacks that has come to their shores.

Pakistan's decision of coming to Australia with three inexperienced teenagers, two of whom were uncapped in Test cricket before this series, has completely backfired as the likes of Muhammad Musa, Yasir Shah and Mohammad Abbas suffered yet again at the hands of David Warner and Marnus Labuschagne in the Day night Test on Saturday.

Warner and Labuschagne took the bowlers to the cleaners yet again on Day 2 with a record 361-run partnership for the second wicket as Australia declared their first innings at 589 for 3.

Warner scored 335 not out to become the 31st player in Test cricket to hit a triple hundred while Labuschagne made 162 as Australia made Pakistan toil hard for almost two days after opting to bat first.

The Aussies are now in sight of another innings win after reducing Pakistan to 39 for 3 in their second innings, following-on at stumps on Day 3. The visitors are still 248 runs away from making Australia bat again, but that scenario looks highly unlikely. Pakistan were shot out for 302 earlier on Sunday with Yasir Shah (113) scoring his maiden hundred while Babar Azam missed out on triple figures by 3 runs.

Pakistan had operated with 6 bowlers on the second day - Shaheen Afridi, Muhammad Musa, Yasir Shah, Mohammad Abbas, Iftikhar Ahmed and Azhar Ali - who bowled a total of 127 overs in the Test but managed just 3 wickets - all going to Shaheen.

The story was much the same in the first Test as well where Australia scored 580 and batted just once in the match, which they eventually won by an innings and 5 runs.

"They (Pakistan's bowlers) have been poor ... their bowling attack is terrible really for a Test attack. I'm not sure I have seen a worse bowling attack on our shores in a long time," Ponting told cricket.com.au.

Ponting was also not impressed with Pakistan's team selection in this game as they decided to drop 16-year-old Naseem Shah and picked the 19-year-old Musa, who bowled 20 overs for 114 runs without any success.

Leg-spinner Yasir Shah is the most experienced of the lot among the Pakistani bowlers but conceded the most runs in the two Tests. Yasir ended the series with 402 runs in 80.4 overs with just 4 wickets to his name.

"I still can't understand why the 16-year-old hasn't played this game, Naseem. And they go with another guy (Musa) who has played seven first-class games and just doesn't look to be a Test match bowler.

"They haven't got much cattle. And when you haven't got much cattle against a batting line-up as hungry as ours, and in our conditions, and a team that is really trying to prove themselves back on the world stage, then I think Pakistan have just been caught in a perfect storm," Ponting said.

The Aussies are in sight of another innings win in this match after having reduced Pakistan to 39 for 3 in their second innings, following-on at stumps on Day 3. The visitors are still 248 runs away from making Australia bat again, but that scenario looks highly unlikely.

Agencies

 

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