Younis blames lack of Test cricket
for collapses

By Sa’adi Thawfeeq

Captain Younis Khan blamed Pakistan’s lack of Test cricket in the past few years to his team’s sensational batting collapses in the ongoing three-Test series against Sri Lanka.
Younis’s comments came soon after his team had surrendered the initiative to Sri Lanka after lunch on the third day to lose the second Test by seven wickets at the P Sara Oval yesterday and with it the series 2-0 with one to play.

Pakistan captain Younis Khan plays the reverse sweep shot that led to his downfall

“There is one reason for it. There has been no Test cricket for us for the last couple of years, so whenever we are under pressure we collapse,” said Younis. “I think it’s not about the technique, the bowling or the weather. We were 300 for 2 and suddenly we collapse. It’s always amazing. Sometimes we do well, sometimes we don’t.”
“This is the third time in this series it has happened to us. The first game we were in a good position and then suddenly we collapsed. In this game in the first innings we got only 90 on this wicket, and then today. It’s shocking for me as well. Suddenly something happens and we lose. We must work on that,” he said.
Younis down played his dismissal and refused to accept it as the cause of his team’s collapse. Pakistan were cruising along at 285 for one when Younis played a reverse sweep shot to part time spinner Tharanga Paranavitana and was caught off the top edge minutes before lunch.
“It’s not about regretting. It’s not about one mistake. I am not the kind of person to point a finger at me or anybody else. We must find solutions. If you see both games, they were ours. We must play regular Test cricket,” Younis said.
Praising the bowling of left-arm spinner Rangana Herath, Younis said: “Herath was fantastic again as he was in 2004-05. We must do something about it. Our players’ foot comes across sometimes, so there is always the chance of leg-before. Everybody knows that now, there are lots of cameras and technology it’s now down to personal level.
“The way Sangakkara bowled Herath with the new ball was amazing. When you take bold decisions, sometimes they work and sound good. If by chance, it had gone wrong, you would have asked why he bowled Herath. You have to take these bold decisions like I made Fawad Alam to open. People would have criticised me after the first innings, but he has been the star of this match. I give credit to Sangakkara for his captaincy in both the Tests,” said Younis.
The Pakistan captain said that with the series already gone the only thing left for them in the third Test starting at the SSC on Monday was to play for pride. “It will be good if we finish 2-1 or something like that because we have to play one-dayers too. If we win this next game, it will give us the motivation.”
“There is only 20 per cent that we lack. Everybody knows about us that if we play to our potential we will start winning. It is all about concentration and how to adapt to conditions,” Younis said.