We’ve made significant strides in ODI cricket, says Mickey Arthur

Mickey Arthur asked everyone to be patient with the team. (Source: Reuters)

Pakistan coach Mickey Arthur has claimed that the Pakistan 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, Arthur spoke about how the team has made it’s progress and 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.

Explaining how the change in the ODI format occurred, Arthur claimed that the change occurred during the one-day series in Australia. “I’ll never forget to take the one-day players who just arrived out onto the outfield to do some work at lunchtime in front of a packed house at the MCG. The standards that those players arrived in was embarrassing. I was embarrassed to see those players run on the outfield.

“Ultimately, that was a reflection of the culture, a reflection of our dressing room. The reflection I wanted on our dressing room was one that was thoroughly professional, one where we push the standards all the time and look to improve ourselves.”, Arthur concluded.