Yousuf seeks advice on tackling Panesar

Having lost his wicket to Monty Panesar three times in this Test series, Mohammad Yousuf sought the advice of Zaheer Abbas, the team manager, in tackling the left-arm spinner.

In the recently concluded Old Trafford Test, Panesar finished with his best match figures of 8 for 93, including a five-wicket haul in the second innings. Panesar, who dismissed Yousuf in both innings, combined with Steve Harmison to beat Pakistan by an innings and gain a 1-0 lead in the four-Test series. The pair shared 19 wickets between them.

Abbas was of the view that Yousuf was playing Panesar too casually, and was guilty of throwing away his wicket after nullifying the pace and bounce of Harmison, who finished with eleven wickets on the match.

"I am not trying to take away credit from Panesar because he bowled quite well", Abbas told The News, a Pakistan daily. "But most of our batsman, especially Yousuf took him too lightly. They thought the only threat for them was Harmison. Personally I believe they made a fatal mistake."

Abbas added that the onus was on the batsmen to perform, given that the Pakistan bowling attack has been weakened with the absence of strike bowlers like Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif. He urged the batsmen to iron out their technical flaws quickly, to give the side a realistic chance of squaring the series.

"Making a comeback from a Test down is not easy especially at a time when you are playing without you top bowlers", he added. "That is why there is extra responsibility on our batsmen. They will have to deliver at Headingley and at The Oval if we are to avoid a defeat in this series."