KARACHI: Former Pakistan cricket team coach Mickey Arthur has blamed inconsistency and uncertainty around the team’s selection, environment and administration for the humiliating defeat of the Green Shirts in the first Multan Test.

Speaking to social media platform They will perform well.”

His remarks come in the backdrop of the Shan Masood-led side’s disconcerting defeat against England, where the latter cruised to an innings-winning 47-run victory on the fifth day of the first Test in Multan.

During the match, despite scoring 556 runs in the first innings, the national team found themselves under fire, 115 runs behind England at the end of the fourth day, and then collapsed under pressure on the last day.

Arthur emphasized that Pakistani players are exceptionally talented and deserve their place in the team. However, he stressed that to improve performance, consistency in selection, environment and administration is crucial.

“The players are very, very talented and they are the good ones,” said the former coach.

He also highlighted the harmful role of media narratives, describing how negative media rhetoric can harm the team, noting that “vile media rhetoric and media agendas don’t help.”

A key point of Arthur’s criticism was the over-promotion of players by agents or the media, which he said gives them a false sense of importance.

“The promotion of players by player agents or the media sometimes makes the player believe that he is much more important than he actually is, creating a false vision,” Arthur pointed out.

The former coach stressed that representing Pakistan should be the highlight of a player’s career.

“Playing for Pakistan would have to be the best time of my life!” he remarked.