Pakistan look to avoid series defeat

After suffering successive defeats for the first time since the twin losses to the West Indies in the One-Day International (ODI) series last year, Pakistan will have to go all-out if they want to keep their chances alive against England. The two teams face off in Dubai today for the third ODI with England leading the four-match series 2-0. After a stunning whitewash of the Test series, if the first two ODIs are anything to go by, Pakistan have their work cut out. They are yet to find a suitable combination and their bowlers, barring off-spinner Saeed Ajmal and Shahid Afrid, have hardly looked threatening. Missed chances, poor fielding and the batsmen’s failure to convert starts have compounded the hosts’ problems. Add to this the criticism levelled for fielding Umar Akmal as a wicket-keeper and one sees a grim picture. However, captain Misbahul Haq, while admitting that fielding was still a concern, said the batsmen showed improvement from the first ODI where Pakistan were bundled out for 130. “The batsmen showed improvement,” Misbah had said after the second ODI. “But the fielding was the main difference. We also lost wickets in a cluster.” A worry for Pakistan would still be to whether play two fast-bowlers and weaken a already fragile tail or bring in Shoaib Malik to give another spin option and strengthen the batting. However, former captain and coach Waqar Younis warned against too many changes and advised Misbah to change his approach for the shorter format. “I feel that too many changes for every game do not send the right message,” said Waqar. “I think Misbah has to realise that he can’t play the waiting game in ODIs. It works in Test cricket but you can’t sit around waiting for things to happen in one-day cricket. I think he needs to attack more.” While Misbah’s tactics and approach were being questioned – yet again – the batsmen had themselves to blame. Most got starts but threw away their wicket. With a tail as weak as Pakistan’s, the top-order batsmen needed to get the job done. For England, pretty much everything seemed to be in its place. Their captain Alastair Cook hit successive hundreds with Ravi Bopara contributing vital runs. Bowlers, especially Steven Finn, were in full flow and did not make it easier for Pakistan. Kevin Pietersen, who has opened the innings, praised Cook and said it was a good turnaround after losing the Tests 3-0. “It’s been a really good turnaround after the Test matches,” said Pietersen, who flopped in the Tests with just 67 runs. “The team have done really well. Cook and Bopara have done a brilliant job, and Finn has been remarkable.” With Pakistan desperately needing someone to make it click, there will be only one thing on their minds today — avoid their first ODI series defeat since losing to South Africa in November 2010.