Former coach Waqar Younis has declared Pakistan’s disappointing Asia Cup campaign served as a ‘reality check’, insisting every ODI series from now on will be key ahead of next year’s World Cup.
The Champions Trophy winners had a tournament to forget in the UAE as they were outclassed by arch -rivals India twice, while also suffering a 37-run loss to Bangladesh which condemned them to a Super Four-stage exit.
Altogether they lost three out of five matches, with a number of key players failing to produce the goods. Among those were Fakhar Zaman, who came into the competition having scored 515 runs in the five-match ODI whitewash, as well as pacer Mohammad Amir.
Zaman’s top-score in the Emirates was 31, while Amir went wicketless in his three outings.
Even captain Sarfraz Ahmed struggled with the bat and Waqar has insisted they must learn from their Asia Cup failure if they want to succeed at the World Cup.
“Things went wrong and they looked all over the place,” said the 46-year-old on the sidelines of the Abu Dhabi T20 tournament.
“I think the batting was disappointing and of course the bowling. There was a lot of expectation from this bowling line-up especially after winning the Champions Trophy.
“The expectations were really high and after losing the first game against India, it didn’t help. They fell apart.
“If you look away from the Asia Cup, Pakistan won a lot of games in a row. Suddenly you lose to India and think you’re not good enough. It was a reality check for them.”
Not holding back: Waqar Younis
Pakistan’s next ODI assignment will be against New Zealand in November’s three-match series in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, followed by a South Africa tour at the end of the year. Mickey Arthur’s side will then play World Cup hosts England just prior to the showpiece event in May.
Ex-fast bowler Waqar has admitted his countrymen cannot afford to have any dip in any of the series’, otherwise he fears they could again suffer the same consequences in England.
“I feel the coming months are going to be crucial,” he added. “There will be a lot of hard cricket coming up.
“You got New Zealand and then South Africa away which is a tough series plus England before the World Cup. We can prepare well but it is a very fragile time at the moment.
“If you lose too many series’, your confidence can be shattered but if you play well, then confidence is then high. With the players fully focused, I feel they can challenge any team in the world.”
