Karachi: Pakistan coach Intikhab Alam has joined the chorus with captain Mohammad Yousuf in blaming the Twenty20 format for the Sydney debacle and advocated the need for a separate squad for the shortest version of the game. "I see a bleak future for Test cricket as far as Pakistan is concerned as the rise of Twenty20 cricket is ruining our standards in Pakistan," he said after Pakistan lost the three-match Test series against Australia, who snatched a remarkable 36-run victory over the visitors.
"The way I see it, the best solution is to have a separate T20 squad because when you play too much T20 cricket, it leads to players losing the skills of patience and temperament to play long innings and stay at the crease that is required in Test matches," he said. "T20 cricket is all about hitting the ball out of the park and it affects the temperament of players. It has affected our players as well," he added.
On Thursday, embattled Pakistan skipper Yousuf had blamed the proliferation of Twenty20 format for his team's bizarre defeat in the Sydney Test. "We had a golden chance to finally beat Australia in Australia and we let it go ourselves due to poor batting. I think the target of 176 runs was perfectly gettable on the Sydney pitch on the fourth day of the Test," Yousuf had told a television channel. Pakistan failed to chase a target of 176 runs in Sydney after having bowled out Australia for 127 on the first day.
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