Butt unhappy with decisions, bowling and fielding

LAHORE, Pakistan, Oct 10 (Reuters) Pakistan vice captain Salman Butt said poor umpiring decisions along with fielding lapses and lax bowling had led to his team's poor performance in the test series against South Africa.

Pakistan are 305 runs behind after the third day and, batting last, face a tough task to save the second test after losing the first in Karachi by 160 runs.

''There have been some decisions where we have been unlucky like, I think, myself in the second innings of the Karachi test,' Butt told reporters today.

''The third umpire gave me out when it was a bounce catch and Mohammad Yousuf yesterday I don't think he was out. When you lose your premier batsman like that, one decision can make a lot of difference to the team,'' he said.

Yousuf, making a comeback to the Pakistan team, was given out leg before to Dale Steyn after scoring 25 runs and television replays showed the ball had hit him high on his knee roll.

Butt also felt the spinners had not bowled well.

''The wickets were prepared for the spinners but they didn't get the South African batsmen out for low scores. We also had some fielding lapses. We have made mistakes and we accept that and we have to improve.'' Butt, who was made vice-captain after the World Cup, gave some credit to the visiting batsmen for playing spin well. ''I don't want to take anything away from them. But our bowlers didn't bowl to their potential.'' The opener who scored 40 in Pakistan's total of 206 blamed the transition from one-day and Twenty20 cricket for the team's struggle.

''It's been a long layoff for us from test cricket and we have not played well.'' Reuters BJR DB2024