KP benefits from Pakistan profligacy

By Gemma Wright

Do you remember the game of table cricket? The fielders could only claim a catch if it landed directly in the pouch between their feet. Even then, the ball would bobble out given the slightest opportunity.
So it is with Pakistan. Their fielding was so shocking parents shielded their children’s eyes so as not to be permanently scarred by the horror of what they saw. By the end of the day, even coach Waqar Younis could be seen laughing ruefully on the balcony as yet another sitter was put down.
Pietersen was the chief beneficiary of these outrageous mistakes. Struggling for form at the moment, at least half a dozen chances in his innings were refused by Pakistan, and the visitors made poor referral decisions with several lbw shouts.

There were glimpses of the Pietersen of old. He took successive boundaries off Ajmal, cutting once behind square before launching a
ferocious straight drive back past the bowler, and produced one classic flick through mid-wicket off Aamer.

Mostly, however, this innings was a horrible struggle. It was as if a Pietersen impostor had taken his place and to see him surviving missed
chance after missed chance was like watching a drowning man thrashing for a lifeline. He is a man crying out to play more cricket.
He battled, though. He’s batted for longer than anyone else in the game and, by contributing 80 in such a low-scoring encounter on a

pitch he rated as “really hard”, he should have answered some questions about his commitment. It’s now 23 innings since his last Test century (at Port of Spain exactly 17 months ago) and, against any other team, he would have been out five times here before reaching 50.
Controversy had surrounded Pietersen in the first session, as he stepped away from the crease just as bowler Asif let go of the ball. Although it had been called dead ball, Pietersen still hit it and, ironically, it was caught. It was deemed not out, but Pakistan were underwhelmed with the decision. He later apologised for any misunderstanding caused, but cited Trott, the non-striker, walking into his eye line as the reason for backing off. Pietersen finally went, misjudging Ajmal’s doosra and falling to a return catch.

KP’s dismissal precipitated a collapse. England lost seven for 46 from that point, with Ajmal claiming his first five-wicket haul in Tests. His last four wickets came for the addition of just two runs in 26 balls. Had all the chances been taken off his bowling, he might have taken 38 wickets. In the end he resorted to taking two of his own catches to ensure they stuck.

It is, perhaps, worth noting the dismissal of Eoin Morgan. There is a theory that he struggles against the short ball and that angled across him. He did nothing to disprove that later theory when he felt for one angled across him and was caught behind.He still has much to prove.

Starting their second innings with a deficit of 179 runs, Pakistan struggled against England’s quick bowlers. Anderson soon removed Butt with a good ball to swinging away from the left-hander. Butt’s shot, playing slightly across the line, did him few favours. England rarely drop those catches.

Pakistan ended the day on 19 for 1, still needing another 160 runs to make England bat again. Even if they do, a hamstring injury to Gul is likely to rule him out of the remainder of the match. Unless the weather intervenes, it’s most unlikely that this game will crawl into a fourth day.

Afterwards , Butt dismissed the fielding performance as “one of those days”.
“Nothing went out way,” he said. “It wasn’t one or two people [dropping chances], it was everybody. [In the end] you just have to
laugh about it. They were catches guys should take with one eye closed.”

Actually, plenty went Pakistan’s way. Their bowlers kept finding the edge and the ball kept going to hand.
Butt does his cause a grave disservice if he diminishes the extent of the problem. Pakistan are not just unlucky. They are poorly prepared.

They have been consistently poor in the field for some time and their attitude to fielding practise is that of a reluctant schoolboy faced
with a detention. It’s not coincidence. They simply have to work harder. One drop, by Amin in the gully off Aamer when KP had 36, was as bad as this ground can ever have witnessed.