Pakistan Head Coach Mickey Arthur has been thoroughly impressed with the improvement in Pakistan team’s fielding standards during 2018.

With the year nearing its close, Arthur said that the reason why team has fared well in the fielding department is due to players’ commitment and hardwork.

“The area which has pleased me the most has been the side’s fielding, which has also been noticed and appreciated by the pundits and experts,” said Arthur in a press release issued by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). “We have taken some excellent catches and inflicted stunning run-outs, apart from saving many runs. This is a testament of the players’ commitment and hardwork, as fielding is very much an individual thing and one has to push oneself to excel in this department.”

Speaking about the team’s best performances of the year, Arthur said: “The Lord’s victory over England, a 1-0 series win over Australia and world record 17 T20I victories were obviously the highlights of the year.”

Arthur admitted that the team is currently in transition and expects better performances from them in the upcoming years.

“This is a side in transition and has shown considerable improvement in the past 12 months. I am convinced that the best from this outstanding young group of players is yet to come,” he said.

In the ICC rankings, Pakistan remained in seventh position in the Test table but gained four points to rise to 92 points, while they moved up one place to fifth in the ODI rankings. In the T20I table, Pakistan seized the top spot from New Zealand and finished in number one position on 138 points after collecting 14 points during the year.

Although there were moments — throughout the year — where the team’s performance was below-par but that does not bother the South African as long as the team is focused and putting in the hard yards.

“Of course, mistakes have been made and those have cost us badly, but that doesn’t take away the fact that the boys have tried their best and worked hard. They have shown the world that they have the talent and grit, and now it’s time they start translating that flair into positive results,” he said.  “There have been good days and not so good days, but we have stayed together as a group and have aimed to continue to work harder and better. I am confident that good results are waiting for us down the road.”