Pakistan's loss angers former stars

Islamabad: The nation may have just won the Twenty20 World Cup, but Pakistan's Test series defeat in Sri Lanka has the country's former stars calling for an overhaul of the team.

Pakistan suffered some spectacular batting collapses to suffer their first ever series defeat in Sri Lanka.

The visitors lost eight wickets for a paltry 47 runs in the first Test and went down by 50 runs. In the second Test ending on Tuesday, they were bowled out for 90 in the first innings and then lost eight wickets for 26 runs in the second innings to lose by seven wickets.

"Why not try out those youngsters who are performing well for Pakistan A when experienced batsmen are continuously letting us down in Test matches?" questioned ex-Test fast bowler Sarfraz Nawaz.

Captain Younis Khan blamed the series loss on lack of Tests, having played only three in the past 20 months.

But Nawaz said that was "face saving", and did not explain how experienced batsmen Mohammad Yousuf, Misbahul Haq, Shoaib Malek and Kamran Akmal failed in three successive innings.

"They are all experienced enough and lack of Test matches is not an excuse," Nawaz said.

"Cricket is a professional sport and it is up to experienced players to quickly get adjusted in all three formats of the game."

Young Fawad Alam was the only silver lining to Pakistan's shocking defeat in the second Test. The left-hander became the 10th Pakistani to score a century on debut and made 168 in the second innings.

"It's a classic example that a youngster will always fight for his place in the side," Nawaz said.

It was a dramatic reversal for Pakistan's team, which received cash rewards for winning the Twenty20 World Cup from both Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gillani and President Asif Ali Zardari, who is also patron of the Pakistan Cricket Board.

"One good over or one good knock can change the Twenty20 game because there's virtually no time to recover in this form of the game," Nawaz said.

"The real test of a cricketer comes in Test matches in which despite so many experienced batsmen we are badly struggling."

The PCB said the team needed time to adjust to the five-day format.

"First of all it's not a joke to change captain again and again and furthermore Younis is doing quite well," PCB chairman Ijaz Butt was quoted as saying in Daily Dawn.

Former Test player Ijaz Ahmad, who is now a member of the selection committee, called for a batting coach to be appointed.

Yesterday, other ex-Test cricketers Zaheer Abbas and Mohsin Khan agreed.

"A batting coach can teach our batsmen how to play according to the situation in Test matches," Abbas told Daily Express. "The PCB should seriously think on hiring a batting coach," Khan told the newspaper.

"Had our batsmen got a lead of 350-400 runs and lost the match it won't be disappointing but we lost the second Test with two days to spare."