Defeating Australia difficult but not impossible: Raja

Pakistan’s cricketer-turned-commentator, in a Youtube video on Wednesday, claimed that defeating Australia in the second and last Test at the Adelaide Oval in Adelaide will be a difficult prospect for the Men in Green, however it is not impossible.

Raja stated that the player would have to pick themselves up after their lacklustre display in the first Test which resulted in an innings defeat at the Gabba in Brisbane.

“Pakistan have to pick themselves up because a draw is not an option. They have to come here thinking that they have to win at all cost. When you think about winning you feel relaxed and it ignites a sense of positivity. It is going to be a hard test but it is not impossible,” said Raja.

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The 57-year-old blamed the batting and selection mistakes for Pakistan’s embarrassing defeat in the first Test in Brisbane.

“Australia has won every pink-ball Test match they have played so far. This is bad news for Pakistan. What should a team do after losing? This is a very hard question because your confidence is very low,” he said. “Pakistan lost the previous match because of their own mistakes. They didn’t make too many runs in the first innings. When they finally started to fight back, it was too late. They made a lot of selection errors.”

Raja claimed that the exclusion of fast-bowler Mohammad Abbas was a critical mistake that needed to be rectified in the second Test against Australia.

“Abbas was left out on the pretext that he had lost a lot of pace. He is the thirteenth best bowler in the world in terms of rankings. They badly needed him in a bowling attack that was inexperienced. He can bowl at one place consistently. There was a lot of hype and pace for Abbas before the series. Pakistan though ruined the psychological game that was building up by not selecting him,” he said.

The former cricketer believed that the Pakistan side needed three openers to combat the new ball which is likely to swing and seam under lights.

“You need to play three openers in Australia. Whenever Pakistan has played on these bouncy pitches they have faced problems. I was hoping this new generation would not repeat the same mistakes of the old generation. Pakistan will have to play very smartly, because the ball will swing and seam a lot. They will also have to play technically sound cricket and make the right selections. Playing Abbas is absolutely vital,” he concluded.