As Pakistan team has doing wonders on the field, a confident coach Mickey Arthur has claimed that the his side has made significant progress in the ODI format. However, he also cautioned his side against complacency and called for the younger lot to take more responsibility.
In an interview with cricinfo, he said, “We’ve almost come full circle. When I took over a year-and-a-bit ago, the emphasis was on one-day cricket, because that’s where we were lagging. We’ve made significant strides in that area with our brand of cricket. Players certainly are playing with a lot more sense of freedom, with us looking to strike with the ball, particularly in those middle overs, and our fielding.”
Commenting on the team composition for the longer format, he said, “The Test team was very settled, when I took over. It was just a continuation, and we had that fantastic series against England in 2016. Now, though, the wheel has turned. Our one-day team seems pretty settled and is going in the right direction in terms of our brand, but we sit with a Test team that we need to develop, primarily in the batting. But I’m very excited to see how the likes of Asad Shafiq, Babar Azam, and Azhar Ali become our premier players. How they adjust to that responsibility is going to be fantastic.
