Mickey Arthur’s coaching stint with Pakistan is just one tour old, but it has already been a colorful one. After it was perceived that England, in their own backyard would simply maul Pakistan, the cricketing fraternity was stunned by an audacious display from the visitors in the test series. After being 2-1 down and going into the fourth test, the pressure was mounting on Pakistan. It was then when the veteran Younis Khan came to the party and scored a remarkable double century, to set the game for Pakistan.
In a chat post the tour, Pakistan coach Mickey Arthur admitted that he was not worried when Younis returned with a string of low scores after the first three tests. Arthur instead, said that knowing Younis, he expected the experienced campaigner to do something special in the fourth test.
“I wasn’t, to be honest,” Arthur said about Younis’ poor form during the first three tests. “I had not seen a hint of panic in his eyes, or desperation. He listened to the advice we gave. He took it on board. And yet he knew there was a big score round the corner because he was just ticking every box. Myself and Grant Flower, (batting coach) just wanted him to stay still at the crease.”
Specifying about the technical adjustments made to Khan’s batting, Arthur said, “We thought he was moving too much, and when he was moving, his weight was going across the crease and not forward, not at the ball. So it was impossible to hit the ball straight. In the last Test, he did that. And the strength of mind that he had in him, he just continued backing himself, still being a brilliant team man, still being brilliant around the changing room.”
The South African also invited controversy when he took the bold step of dropping Mohammad Hafeez for the fourth test. “Hafeez is a very good cricketer. And all cricketers go through this little period where they don’t make as many runs as they would like. He had one or two starts which he did not capitalise on. Opening the batting in international cricket is tough. You are facing James Anderson and Stuart Broad and they are quality bowlers,” Arthur summed up.