Former Pakistan captain Ramiz Raja lashed out at the side for their poor performance in the shocking second Test defeat to the West Indies in
Multan as well. After winning the first match by 127 runs at the same venue, they were favoured on similar spin-friendly conditions. However, Pakistan allowed the visitors to post a respectable 163 from 54/8 in the first innings but they were bowled out for 154 in response, conceding a nine-run lead. The visitors scored 244 in their second innings to set Pakistan a competitive target of 254. Unfortunately they managed 133 to lose by 120 runs as well.

“This is the frustrating part of our cricket. Against top teams, we raise our game, but when facing weaker teams, we drop our standards and play at their level. Basic mistakes that you don’t expect from a team like Pakistan were on full display. It’s difficult to explain or justify this defeat,” he said via CricketPakistan.com.

“The strategy seemed to be focused on exploiting spin-friendly conditions, especially against the West Indies, who aren’t traditionally known for their strength against spin. However, the brutal nature of the pitch meant that winning the toss became crucial. When you lose the toss and fail to capitalize on the conditions, you leave yourself vulnerable, as we saw in the second Test,” he again added.

Ramiz Raja also expressed concerns about Pakistan’s batters and bowlers’ prowess even on spin-friendly home tracks in the longer format s well.

“If you’re relying on spin to win matches, then you need to select players who can play spin confidently, both in batting and bowling. You also need spinners who can handle the pressure and deliver consistently. Instead, we saw a lack of impact from both departments, with even a West Indies spinner, unknown to many before the series, outshining our players. Our batsmen lack the confidence to handle spin in pressure situations, especially when close-in fielders are present. They panic, play rash shots, and throw away their wickets. This is a recurring issue that the team hasn’t learned from, as the same mistakes were repeated in the second innings,” Ramiz Raja concluded.