KARACHI, 26 October 2004 — Pakistan’s fragile batting line-up is once again under scrutiny as the team seeks to regroup from its 201-run rout against Sri Lanka in time for the second and final Test of the series beginning Thursday.

Pakistan, chasing a world record-equaling 418 for victory, crumbled in their second innings to be dismissed for 218 on a relatively good fifth-day wicket in the Faisalabad Test on Sunday. Captain Inzamam ul-Haq was in no mood for mincing words immediately after the loss as he got stuck into the batting line up, despite himself contributing only 32 and three.

“Bowlers did well in Faisalabad but batting let us down and our batsmen need to show more responsibility if we want to save the series,” Inzamam said, before applying the blow torch to luckless wicket keeper Moin Kahn.

“There will definitely be some changes as we have given enough chances to Moin.”

New Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer also laid the much of the blame for the loss on the batting.

“We couldn’t produce one hundred in the first Test match, got three fifties, so in reality we have to look where are we going in batting,” said the Englishman, who was coaching Pakistan for the first time.

“Pakistan has produced greats like Hanif Mohammad, Majid Khan and Zaheer Abbas so these youngsters need to emulate them.”

If players are dropped, opener Taufeeq Umer and middle order batsman Younis Khan are among the most likely to break into the team for the Karachi Test.

On the bowling side, paceman Mohammad Sami, whose 43 wickets in 16 Tests understates his huge potential, will most likely miss the second Test after straining his groin.

Teenager Riaz Afridi, who anchored Pakistan’s junior World Cup triumph in Bangladesh earlier this year, is in line to replace Sami for his Test debut.

Perched at number three in the International Cricket Council Test rankings, Pakistan needed to win both Tests to rise to their highest ever position at number two. But now they will struggle to hold their current ranking.

Meanwhile, Pakistan have dropped wicketkeeper Moin Khan for the second Test against Sri Lanka because of his indifferent form with the bat.

“Moin has been dropped from the team and we have called up Kamran Akmal for the second Test on the request of the team management,” chief selector Wasim Bari told Reuters yesterday. Pakistan lost the first Test in Faisalabad by a massive 201 runs and captain Inzamam indicated that Moin may have played his last Test because of his recent poor form.

“Moin has been struggling for batting form and we are going to try out Akmal,” Bari said.

Moin, who has played 69 Tests and 219 One-Day Internationals scored just five and one in the first Test. Bari said 18-year-old reserve keeper Zulqarnain Haider would remain in the 15-member squad.

He added former captain Rashid Latif was also under consideration for a recall to the team.