Fleming, other New Zealand greats highlight positives for Pakistan

Former New Zealand greats including former batsman Stephen Fleming, in a Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Podcast on Wednesday, highlighted the positives for Pakistan after their disastrous two-nil Test series whitewash against the New Zealand side

Fleming believed that the Covid-19 situation and injuries in the squad set Pakistan back against New Zealand before the start of their encounters.

“Touring is tough full stop. But with Covid around and having to do extra days with quarantine, it just cuts down on your preparations. Teams that come from the subcontinent like India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, for them that time is crucial to them. So missing that time, Pakistan were always on the back foot. It has been like the whole way on the tour, just trying to catch up,” Fleming said.

“The other thing that is worth noting is the amount of injuries of some absolute star players that weren’t able to get on the park during this tour can be a positive because some of the young players have been able to step up and get an opportunity and while their performances might not reflect their ability now, I think in years to come, these types of tours and getting these opportunities will be very beneficial,” he added.

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The 47-year-old stated that the Pakistan side needed to learn from this experience while praising the efforts of fast-bowler Shaheen Shah and stand-in captain Mohammad Rizwan during the recently concluded Test series.

“So a tough tour but you’ve got to make sure that Misbah and the coaching staff take the lessons they have learned here and put it into play. Very often you just discard challenging tours. You don’t end up learning enough but there is a lot to be learned from here and a lot of positives. Shaheen Afridi I think has been an absolute leader; he has been an absolute star. Rizwan was thrust into the captaincy as well. So you’ve got to give them a little bit of a grace and say this was not expected but they have lifted. Performances in the middle have been very good but they could obviously expect more,” he said.

New Zealand’s former cricketer Grant Elliot believed that the bowlers in the Pakistan side would have learned a lot from bowling to the world class Kiwi players on their home soil.

“New Zealand have world class players now. The ability for Shaheen Shah,  Naseem Shah and Faheem Ashraf to actually bowl to these guys, I think it will make them better players. Speaking with Misbah, he was just telling them that they need to play, they need experience. Test cricket is hard. The more cricket they play, the better they will get. I think there were a lot of defining moments. Missed chances, we saw when New Zealand were 74 for three and Shaheen Shah bowled that no ball. But Pakistan is a very talented team,” Elliot said.

“I think the experience of these last two Tests, in the first Test Pakistan showed great character. I think Rizwan as a captain has been amazing. If you throw Babar Azam in the team and potentially someone like Hasan Ali, I think it will add a different edge to this team. So result-wise it hasn’t been that great but as we know New Zealand are used to these conditions. I think that was always going to be a challenge,” he added.

New Zealand’s former all-rounder Craig McMillan stated that Pakistan were missing some key players due to injuries which might have changed things significantly.

“There were a couple of players missing from that Pakistan side. Babar Azam is a world class player who would have scored runs on these New Zealand surfaces because he is that good. That had left a little bit of a hole and I think a Shadab Khan as well than there is Hasan Ali who could have been a very useful bowler on these surfaces. I think there will be a lot of learning. It is important that the coaching staff reviews everything. When you tour places like, Australia, New Zealand and England, bounce is an issue. There have been quite a few positives for Pakistan. They have fought really hard. I think they have played really well. Pakistan were always going to be up against it with a young side but I think we have seen plenty of fight from Mohammad Rizwan who has done well. Shaheen Shah is a fantastic bowler,” McMillan.