No quick ‘turn’around in sight, admits Cricket Australia

He added that CA would continue to use external spin consultants, such as Sri Lanka great Muttiah Muralitharan, and undertake developmental sub-continent tours that expose Test candidates to the foreign playing conditions at an early age.

“All of those things will bring about improvement, but in no way are they an overnight solution,” Howard said. “It will take time and hard work.”

Australia were embarrassed by Pakistan, struggling to bat on the same pitches that were made to look easy by their hosts, who have been forced to play all “home” matches on neutral turf since the 2009 Lahore terrorist attacks.

Australia have now lost 10 Tests out of their last 15 in Asia since 2008, winning just one against Sri Lanka and drawing the remaining four. “To be a great side, we have to be able to win consistently on the road and it’s clear that we still struggle to cope with dry sub-continental conditions,” Howard said.

The Australians were routed 4-0 in a series in India early last year. “We’re not looking for excuses for what happened … no one is blaming a coin toss or the pitches,” he added. “Batting, bowling and fielding were well below par.”

Former Test captain Allan Border told News Corporation newspapers the sub-continent struggles warranted a formal review, similar to that conducted into Australia’s team performance in 2011, but CA said this was not likely.

Howard said the batting performances of David Warner, Steve Smith and Mitch Marsh were some of the “very few positives” to take from the series against Pakistan. “Given they’ve all got long careers in front of them, they have showed that they can succeed in those conditions,” he said. Australia can still reclaim the top ICC Test ranking if they defeat India 3-0 or 4-0 in the December-January four-Test series at home.

Younis thought of quitting

Karachi: He stole the limelight with his batting prowess in the just-concluded Test series win over Australia, but senior Pakistan batsman Younis Khan has said that he thought about quitting cricket after being dropped unceremoniously from the ODI squad last month. “Yes the thought of retirement crossed my mind. I was so disappointed and upset at being dropped for the ODI series. But my family and friends told me you must not give up and try to do something for the country,” Younis said.

The former skipper, who left an undeniable mark in Pakistan’s 2-0 victory over Australia in the Test series that concluded on Monday, said that his anger stemmed from the fact that he was sidelined by the selectors after just one match.

“I got a chance to play just one match in 18 months in Sri Lanka and I had to return owing to a family tragedy. So when they dropped me for the ODI series against Australia I was upset and thought about retirement,” he told Geo News. Younis said he was also hurt when the selectors hinted that he was not in their plans for next year’s World Cup.     (PTI)