Former South African cricketer AB de Villiers has said that not many Pakistani cricketers are eager to put in extra effort individually, adding that the batting unit looks absolutely disinterested to do the same and helping their team win matches.
The Babar Azam-led Pakistan team endured a disastrous start to its England tour, suffering heavy losses in the first two Tests at Headingley and Lord’s. The disappointing results prompted the PCB to make sweeping changes ahead of the third and final Test in Birmingham, with seven cricketers sent home and Test coach Sarfaraz Ahmed replaced by white-ball coach Mike Hesson.
But de Villiers believes Pakistan’s problems go beyond the boardroom. The former Proteas skipper questioned whether enough of the nation’s
players are prepared to put in the hard work and make the necessary sacrifices to succeed in Tests when conditions become challenging.
“I don’t often currently see a lot of Pakistan players individually being prepared to put in those extra hard yards. Especially with the batting unit. Not enough, what is the word, guts,” De Villiers said while speaking on his YouTube channel.
“Fight. It does not always have to be pretty. Lots of soft wickets and that’s what it comes down to. It’s a decision that you make. It is sometimes ugly and terribly difficult to watch,” de Villiers said.
“If I played for my ego, I probably would have been a different player. It was always about how much character I could show out here today. It always felt like a threat to my character from the opposition,” de Villiers added.
Pakistan cricket has witnessed constant upheaval in captaincy and coaching roles in recent years, with skippers and coaches being replaced. Jason Gillespie and Gary Kirsten stepped down after finding their roles marginalised by the selection committee led by Aaqib Javed.
