Arthur: We just do the basics wrong

Cricket365
June 5, 2017

Pakistan coach Mickey Arthur admits his team were “below par” after suffering a damaging loss against rivals India in their Champions Trophy clash at Edgbaston on Sunday.

In front of a sold-out crowd of close to 25 000, India posted an imposing total of 319/3 in 48 overs before restricting Pakistan to 164 all out for comprehensive victory by 124 runs (D/L method).

REPORT: India hammer shoddy Pakistan at Edgbaston

A former coach of South Africa and Australia, Arthur lamented the fact that his side continue to do the basics wrong.

Their fielding was shocking at times and the running between the wickets by the batsmen was bordering on laughable.

Arthur said after the game: “We were below par. It’s as simple as that. And it’s a reality check of where we are in our one-day cricket at the moment.

“The worrying thing for me – and it has been for a period of time – is we just do the basics wrong. We do the simple things wrong. We drop simple catches.

“We don’t run well enough between wickets. We don’t hit the keeper with our throws and we don’t understand when to bowl our variations.

“We bowled a really good over and then we bowled a variation with our sixth ball and that’s the ball that ended up going for a boundary.

“So it’s the simplicity of those things that are worrying me at the moment.”

Pakistan now face must-win games against South Africa and Sri Lanka if they want to qualify out of their group at the tournament.