Pakistan's batting - positives and the negatives from the play-of-the-day

1: Negatives

1.1: Abid Ali

Not directly criticizing Abid Ali but the way our media and social media created hype over the Flamboyant batsman, which directly created the expectancy pressure over the batsman, because of that, today he was unable to play freely and lasted only 6 balls, that's why it is better to keep the batsman without expectancy pressure.

1.2: Azhar Ali

Similarly another Ali on the list who was unable to perform today and instead of rotating the strike, he was playing as if he was playing under-pressure, which exposed a negative in current Pakistani batting, which was highlighted but it was camouflaged in the win against the Sri Lanka at Karachi.

1.3: Yasir Shah

In the bowling department, Yasir Shah was a big disappointment, because he has not gone out of the strata of playing in the deserts of UAE, because now we're playing in the home-conditions of Pakistan where he was unable to exhibit the so-called venom within him.

1.4: Pakistan afraid to take initiative and be confident to try newer players

This is the main thing because Pakistan definitely requires to create a bench-strength because currently there seems nothing when it comes to the bench-strength, where Pakistan act defensively in a series where they could definitely had tried newer and untested players, which could had definitely benefited Pakistan in the long run which Pakistan lost.

Pakistan team might be in winning condition on papers, but the fact is strategy is too much defensive where they are unable to take initiative and afraid to test their own limits at different periods of time, which could had helped Azhar Ali which opportunity lost for Pakistan in the long run.

2: Positives

2.1: Test match definitely about to end within 4 days

The position Pakistan currently in, this test match seems a 4 day test-match instead of a 5 days test-match, because of the lead and wickets in-hand for the home-team.

2.2: Shan Masood

Shan Masood since his tour to the South Africa, have been improving since that day therefore he is cementing himself in the test team and which I also personally want him to be a permanent part of the Pakistan cricket team in whites.

In a nutshell

In a nutshell, Pakistan might be winning this test match but the fact is Pakistan has lost the match when it comes to opportunity(s) which Pakistan could have had utilized, which could had benefited Pakistan in the long run, and which is the main thing every team opt to utilize their home-series' most of the time, i.e. to test and utilize their strength and the bench-strength, which will cost the Pakistan team.