Pakistan captain wants improvements
Pakistan captain Salman Butt says he wants big improvements from his side during the second test match against England.
England comprehensively beat Pakistan during the first test by a margin of 354 runs. There were bad performances from many areas of the Pakistan team and the captain says it is not acceptable.
Pakistan have fought back well in the recent past because they suffered a bad defeat earlier this summer during the first test against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Australia-c746 and went on to draw the series 1-1.
There are one or two very important areas that Pakistan must do better. England are arguably the best team in Test cricket at the moment and they will be all over their opponents like a rash if improvements are not made.
Areas to focus on
The main area for Pakistan to focus on is the batting. The batsmen in the team have to be work very hard on doing more of the ugly things well. They can play as many shots as any other side but they do not knuckle down and fight through tough spells during intense matches.
The side rarely make it past a figure of 200 and when this is the case the team will always be on the back foot during a test match. The inclusion of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Mohammad-Yusuf-c77475 to the squad for the second test match should help their chances of doing this.
The side have to do a lot better in the field. The bowlers have been superb over the course of the summer but the side have conceded far too many runs due to fielding errors and basic bowling extras such as wides and no-balls. If they tighten up in these areas then they'll be harder to beat.
Butt said: "I think the first game against Australia was like this and we must remember the second game we won. That will make us stronger in the next game. We can come back for sure. It's not a good performance, it's not something the guys were looking for, although it's good it [the defeat] has come early in the series and we have a good chance to work on our mistakes and make a good comeback."
England's confidence
England's confidence is going to be sky high at the moment and if Pakistan are not on the very top of their game then England will pounce. They want to send out a message ahead of the Ashes and http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755 really have to grit their teeth and get stuck in.
This means being very aggressive and determined from the moment they turn up at Edgbaston for the second test. The first hour of the first day is critical and if they can make England work much harder during the Test then Butt will be happy.
He added: "They're http://www.senore.com/Cricket/A-Young-c41367 side with limited experience but they have the talent and have shown they can do it. We have everything to work on but I truly believe in my team. These things happen. I think we definitely have to regroup, come up with a new strategy and make us stronger."
Betting advice
England will be firm favourites for the second test match and very little is going to change the minds of many who have already decided who they are going to back.
The best option could be to focus on individuals in the Pakistan team. Both Butt and Yusuf could easily score a hundred and a big score for a Pakistan player is long overdue. Mohammad Amir and Mohammed Asif both look like they can take five wickets playing against any side in global cricket at the moment. Betting on individual players who have a track record of performing may be the better option if you're unsure of whether Pakistan will rally back to even the series.
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