Pakistan’s loss in the first Test against the West Indies has once again exposed their ongoing struggles with second-innings batting.
Imam-ul-Haq, who scored a composed 63 in the opening innings, failed to deliver in the second innings, adding to concerns over Pakistan’s ability to handle pressure situations.
He faced only a few deliveries before losing his wicket while attempting an unnecessary shot against a short-of-length delivery from Kemar Roach.
His dismissal once again raised questions over why Pakistani batters struggle to maintain their game plans and composure under pressure. The statistics also underline this ongoing issue.
Over the last two years, Imam-ul-Haq has averaged 54.50 in first innings, but his average drops dramatically to just 3.50 in second innings.
Similarly, the performances of Mohammad Rizwan and Saud Shakeel have also declined significantly in the second innings, highlighting the mental and technical challenges faced by Pakistan’s batting line-up.
Head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed admitted that second-innings batting has become the team’s biggest weakness. He said that regular discussions are held with the batters, but the team often collapses under pressure, which ultimately affects the outcome of matches.
Pakistan’s average in the second innings of Test matches has been just 19.90, the lowest among all teams competing in the World Test Championship over the past two years.
It is worth mentioning here that the West Indies registered a dominant 90-run win in the first Test of the two-match series against Pakistan at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy on Tuesday, finishing Pakistan at 120 runs, having set a target of 212 for the fourth day in the country’s first match.
Chasing a 212-run target, Pakistan’s batting line-up was swept away by the disciplined West Indies pacers, headed by Jayden Seales, who created a match-winning spell of 5-20.
Kemar Roach and Justin Greaves each were able to make two wickets each, while Shamar Joseph took one wicket. Pakistan’s post tea session, however, started at 114-9 before the team was all out after scoring six more runs.
Read more: Pakistan suffer 90-run defeat to West Indies in first test
