At the end of the second day’s play, reports came out of Mickey Arthur censuring his senior players for their reckless shots. This was after another batting collapse, which saw Pakistan lose their last nine wickets for 90 runs with the soft dismissals of Sarfraz Ahmed, Azhar Ali, and Asad Shafiq making the headlines.
Reports claimed that Arthur, in the middle of his outburst, told the team that they have lost the match within one hour. Whether it was said or not – it might remain confidential as Sarfraz wishes the happenings of dressing room to remain there – Arthur’s assessment of the situation stands true.
Batting collapses, especially while batting second in Tests, are becoming a regular feature of this Pakistan side. Sarfraz believes that psychological weakness has a role to play in it, and that the responsibility lies on everyone.
“We take a lot of mental pressure because of which we are unable to perform in the fourth or second innings…We are struggling in the second innings [for the past two years]. We do get starts but then a wicket falls which initiates a collapse. It has been a while now,” he said after Pakistan’s six-wicket loss to South Africa in Centurion on Friday (December 28).
