Whatmore blames Pak batsmen for 'flop' opening show in second Test against Proteas

Pakistani coach Dav Whatmore has blamed the team's batsmen for bringing about their own downfall in the second and final Test against South Africa in Dubai on Wednesday.

Pakistan was shot out for 99 on the opening day on a dry but flat pitch in a match which their tourists need to win to level the two-Test series, while South Africa reached 128-3 at the close and led by 29 runs on a day boosted by Imran Tahir's career-best 5-32.

According to Sport24, Whatmore expressed his frustration over the result given that Pakistan put on 442 in their seven-wicket win in the first Test in Abu Dhabi, saying that the game did not go according to their plan, adding that they orchestrated most of their dismissals themselves even though they expected the opposition to come back strong.

Stating that he is still trying to find out whether it is complacency or something else behind Pakistan's poor show, Whatmore also said that some of the batsmen played bad shots, adding that it is very difficult to set up a decent total in the first innings when a team is six wickets down already.

So dismal was Pakistan's top-order that they were 60 for six by lunch, leaving the number nine batsman Zulfiqar Babar to score 25 not out, the top score of the innings, the report added.