Pakistan cruelled by no-ball epidemic

When Azhar Ali fronted the media after the third day’s play of the second Commonwealth Bank Test at the MCG, he didn’t look like a man who had sent the records tumbling few hours earlier and had played one of the finest – if not the finest – innings of his career.

Azhar finished unbeaten on 205 off 364 balls, posting the highest score and longest innings by a Pakistan batsman on Australian soil, surpassing Majid Khan (158 runs) and Imran Khan (361 balls) respectively.

But he wore the look of a worrisome man whose hard work was squandered by the lack of discipline and application by his team’s bowlers. 

It might be too early to predict a result, but if Australia continue to pile runs at the same scoring rate and the rain does not intervene – although the forecast looks bleak – there remains a possibility that Pakistan’s only double-hundred Down Under will come in a losing match.

“I think we lacked discipline while bowling,” Azhar said.

“The conditions also got slightly better (for batting).

Quick Single: Awesome Azhar topples Imran

“The conditions became very dry. There was some swing with the new ball, but then it disappeared.

“There was some reverse swing later on, but by that time David Warner had settled himself… you know that when a batsman of his calibre is playing it is not easy to contain the runs.

“But the sort of bowlers we have we expect them to perform better irrespective of the conditions.”

It is not the first time Pakistan’s bowlers have failed to capitalise on the efforts of their batsmen in 2016.

Earlier this year against England in Birmingham – historically a tough venue for the Asian teams –Pakistan’s batsmen handed the team a first innings lead of 103 runs only to see it getting wiped off in the space of a session. Azhar had scored 139 in that game as well.

Even after his triple-hundred in Dubai, Pakistan was at one stage staring at a defeat as their bowlers struggled to bowl out West Indies in the fourth innings.

A major problem for Pakistan’s bowlers has been over-stepping and the issue came to bite them again at the MCG when the Australian opener David Warner was reprieved courtesy a Wahab Riaz no-ball when on 81.  

Wahab has conceded 58 runs off no-balls in 2016, the most by any bowler this year. His lack of discipline has not cost Pakistan just runs, but also wickets on three occasions.

He dismissed Jonny Bairstow at the Oval on 13, Shane Dowrich at Sharjah on 15 and Warner at the MCG on 81 only to find that he had overstepped. The batsmen went on to move to 55, 47 and 141 respectively.

“I think he (Wahab) wanted to bowl very fast and was trying to get some reverse swing,” Azhar said.

“The wicket was very good (for batting) so maybe he was pushing too hard and the foot was going over the line too much.

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“It was one of those days that it was really hard for him. The no ball problem hit him badly.”

In the last few years several bowling coaches – Waqar Younis, Aaqib Javed, Mohammad Akram, Mushtaq Ahmed, Azhar Mahmood – have worked with the Pakistan team but none of them has been able to find a solution to the team’s habit of leaking sundries.

Pakistan’s no-ball numbers this year would raise a few eyebrows. They have conceded 90 extras due to overstepping in 11 Tests in 2016, which equates to more than eight runs each Test.

The numbers look worse when compared with other teams. New Zealand. For example, have leaked just 11 runs from no balls in as many Tests in 2016 – one no-ball every Test.

“Wahab bowled a lot of no balls but he works with the bowling coach but today maybe he wanted to push very hard,” Azhar said.

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“We hope to contain the run rate tomorrow and build pressure on Australia. Two or three quick wickets can change the scenario of the match.

“Lot of work has been done, but today obviously was not ideal.”

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