Vanquished skipper Mohammad Yousuf says Australia are the best Test cricket team in the world. Maybe that’s not surprising coming from the captain of the fourth consecutive Pakistan side to be at the dirty end of a three-Test series clean sweep against the Aussies.
International Cricket Council ratings put India and South Africa ahead of Australia with Pakistan sixth and West Indies eighth.
But Yousuf, who says he’s happy overall with his young inexperienced side, claims Australia are the tops.
“Yes, the best team because they’re a good side with all good players,” he said in response to a reporter’s question.
“If you see the statistics they have good batting averages, good bowling averages, the wicketkeeper average nearly 40 (runs), they have a good side.”
Pakistan’s fielding, with 14 dropped catches, the same number grassed in New Zealand, was Yousuf’s greatest disappointment.
“A lot of catches were dropped, that’s why we lost the series, otherwise maybe a different result,” said the patient skipper who sometimes baked but never abandoned his players.
He said they did the best they could with what talent they had.
And although the Pakistanis continue to let themselves down with dropped catches, Yousuf rejected the need for a fielding coach, saying they had one for a series in England in 2006 and dropped 20 catches.
The problem is not the coaching, it’s the players who need to focus on their fielding, he said.
Australia skipper Ricky Ponting said there should be no general concern about the quality of both opponents this summer.
“Everyone thought Pakistan were going to beat us,” he said.
Ponting said Pakistan were a better side than the West Indies and Australia played better against Pakistan, although they didn’t play at their best.
“Both of those teams when they play their best cricket will push any team.
“But it’s a matter of them being able to do it for long enough spells and that’s what you have to learn in this game.
“What we are starting to see now from some of our younger guys is the ability to do that.
“We’ve seen moments of brilliance from some of them for short periods of time, as we saw through the Ashes.
“But when you can do it for long periods of time that makes teams win games.
“Pakistan pushed us and had their moments in Sydney and the West Indies pushed us in Adelaide but they couldn’t do it for long enough to get themselves a win and that’s what they have got to keep striving to do.”
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