Saqlain Mushtaq unhappy after whitewash against England

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Pakistan's head coach Saqlain Mushtaq stated that Pakistan team's 3-0 whitewash against England was painful but defended their performance, stating, "they didn't play badly."

After defeat in the Karachi Test, the former spinner clarified that everyone was devastated by the loss but that Pakistan came close in two games.

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“In Rawalpindi and Multan, there were times when we were looking to win the games, but it didn’t end in our favour,” he said.

“If you look at Multan Test, we were in a good position there as well. But, Saud Shakeel's controversial decision was the turning point; otherwise, he had put us in a commanding position,” the head coach mentioned.

He stated that he, too, is hurt by the loss and feels like crying in a corner but that such emotions are a natural part of the game.

Mushtaq stated that Pakistan's team was less experienced than England's.

“In a longer game format, experience is key, and it helps you at a crucial stage; this favored England in the series. We have to learn from our mistakes,” the coach said.

He added that Pakistan was aiming for the World Test Championship final at the beginning of this series, but the results did not go their way.

However, he objected that this crushing defeat was one of the "worst moments" of his career.

“These moments are part and parcel of a professional cricketer; if you allow them to pull you down, then you’ll not be able to move on and progress,” he said.

Mushtaq accepted that the score of 0-3 was unexpected, but he insisted that Pakistan must learn from this loss.

“There are certain things which are exposed in the longer format, these things are usually under the carpet in a shorter format, but you need to be technically and tactically perfect in the longer format, and we’ve to improve in these areas,” the head coach indemnified.

“It won’t happen overnight, but we will have to work hard,” he said.

When asked if Pakistan should adopt England's style of play in the series, the coach highlighted the need for consensus before making any strategic decisions.

“England did not adopt this policy overnight; they went through a thought process before applying this style, though there were times in this series as well when we forced them to get back to the traditional style of playing Test cricket,” Saqlain said.

Mushtaq also mentioned that Abrar Ahmed has had an excellent start to his career but stated that he must work harder for further opportunities.

“I must say that he must not settle down with this; he must bring more verities as the cricketing world will soon start working on him, so you need to keep evolving,” he concluded.