- Joined
- Aug 29, 2023
- Runs
- 37,936
About taking the second new ball and the second innings collapse:
“The collapse actually began in the first innings—316 for 5, and then we lost five wickets for just 15 runs. I believe that was the real turning point. If we had capitalized on our position and scored around 400 or 450 runs—especially considering the partnership between Salman Ali Agha and Mohammad Rizwan—we could’ve been in a commanding position. But we failed to utilize that stand.”
“Credit must go to the opposition. The way they played yesterday, we were in a situation where we could’ve taken the lead. But credit goes to Muthusamy—his shot selection was perfect. His partnership with Keshav Maharaj was worth 70 runs, and then the 95-run stand with Kagiso Rabada. When you’re up against a quality side, and if you noticed, within a span of 20 minutes, we gave them five chances—dropped catches, missed stumpings, and a run-out opportunity. When you offer such chances to a top team, they will attack you, and that’s exactly what happened. We ended up conceding extra runs.”
About no contribution from tailenders and steps needed moving forward:
“That’s a very valid point, and it’s something we’ve addressed. This has happened four times across these two Test matches—we’ve lost wickets in clusters. Like today, we lost six wickets for 44 runs. That’s just not acceptable. I think we need to take responsibility. In both of our camps, we discussed this issue—that when your top seven batters score around 270–280 runs, the lower order’s contribution becomes crucial. If you look at the opposition, they’ve outperformed us in this regard during this Test match.”
“We need to keep working on these areas. Unfortunately, we played our last Test match in January, and now we’re playing again. Our next Test is in March. We need to play regular Test matches so we can cope with these challenges.”
About the learning from this game:
“We need to work on our game. Players should know their scoring shots. Players should know their scoring options. Take Muthusamy, for example—you can learn from the opposition. He scored most of his runs through reverse sweeps and sweeps. So, we need to be aware of your scoring options. Today, when we went out to bat, we started blocking too much. We should’ve rotated the strike and put pressure on the opposition. That way, they wouldn’t have bowled in those areas. Like they did—yes, they had 68 or 70 runs, but if they had 200, it would’ve been a different ball game.”
“Definitely, you need mental toughness. International cricket is all about how you cope under pressure—how you manage those situations. We didn’t manage things well, and whether it’s through a sports psychologist or through players gaining mastery over their own game, they need to know their scoring options, attacking options, and defensive options.”
About the spin-friendly tracks going forward:
“If you talk about the West Indies, those pitches had excessive spin. But if you look at these two Test matches, everyone had equal opportunity. Batters who applied themselves scored runs. Bowlers—both spinners and fast bowlers—took wickets. I think these pitches were much better than the West Indies ones. They offered equal chances.”
“As for South Africa’s bowling, Maharaj is one of the best spinners in the world—there’s no question about it. And Harmer, who took his 1000th wicket today, has vast experience. That’s why they were the number one side last year—they tick all the boxes.”
“Moving forward, if we want to win Test matches at home, we have to play better against spin. And in pressure situations, we must learn to absorb and cope.”
About preparing tracks that assist fast bowlers:
“If we go back to last year, we tried to prepare fast pitches against Bangladesh. Unfortunately, we played during a time when those fast pitches didn’t offer much help due to weather conditions. So, moving forward, if we want to prepare such pitches, we’ll need to replicate them in domestic cricket as well. That way, our spinners and batters can score big runs and learn how to play in those conditions.”
“Unfortunately, in our previous first-class cricket setup, the ball used to seam a lot. Spinners never got a chance, and reverse swing had almost disappeared from the game. If we start preparing balanced pitches, fast bowlers will have a role, spinners will get opportunities, and reverse swing will return too.”
About Pakistan batters struggling in their own home conditions:
“This is the time to show character. We discussed this even in the morning—that when you’re under pressure, that’s when partnerships matter. Our two best batters went in to bat, and unfortunately, we lost a wicket in the very first over. That puts pressure on you.”
“Of course, we’ll work on this. But the reality is, we’ve only played four Test matches in the past year. Moving forward, we have around 11 Tests next year. Only by playing more Tests will we learn to absorb pressure.”
“If you look at our players—take Babar Azam or Abdullah Shafique, for example—they haven’t played much first-class cricket. Abdullah has played a few matches; Babar, too, hasn’t played a lot of first-class Tests. When you play day in and day out in domestic conditions, you learn how to cope with pressure. In international cricket, your performance is under the spotlight. If you fail, you don’t know how to bounce back unless you’ve faced that grind before. So, I believe domestic cricket is the best answer—go and play.”
About batters not stepping up in crucial moments—playing innings that could bring Pakistan back into the match:
“Salman Ali Agha is one of those players—he’s batting at number seven. But unfortunately, if you look at the England series, our lower order—Nauman, Sajid—they scored runs. That’s what helped us win the Test series. Here, unfortunately, Salman Ali Agha got out on 93. That happened because wickets kept falling at the other end, and he was under pressure. Salman Ali Agha did his part, but our lower order didn’t justify their role, and that’s why we struggled.”
About not having any good all-rounder in the country:
“That’s not the case. If we don’t have them, we’ll have to develop them. We need to find those players. For example, we had Aamer Jamal—he performed really well in Australia. It’s not that all-rounders aren’t emerging. But we need to be consistent in their selection, based on conditions. In this squad of 18, Aamer Jamal was part of it. But considering the conditions, we needed someone who could reverse the ball. Hasan Ali and Shaheen Shah Afridi were the best options for us, so we went with them. But moving forward, when we tour abroad, we’ll definitely need all-rounders like Aamer Jamal to balance the side.”
About not playing enough Test cricket and the middle and lower-middle order not performing:
“That’s a concern. Whether it’s the third innings or fourth, our record isn’t great. To develop in these areas, we need to play more Test cricket. Unfortunately, if you play only four Tests a year and then regroup after six months, you don’t get enough time. Nowadays, with ODIs and T20s dominating, you don’t get those opportunities. But in the coming year, you’ll see—we’ll work on these shortcomings and improve, Insha’Allah.”
About selecting the best playing 11 based on the conditions:
“We were monitoring the pitch closely—how we wanted the ball to spin. There are two ways to get spin: either the pitch is soft, like in Multan against England when Saqlain was head coach—Abrar took seven wickets on a soft pitch, and the ball spun early in the session. Now, we’re trying to control moisture and generate spin through dryness. As far as the pitches go, I’m fully satisfied with both. Regarding the team combination—some said we picked the wrong seamer in Lahore, others said we picked the wrong spinner here. But the spinner we selected took six for fifty, so that shows the decision was right. If you look at the opposition, they also played three spinners.”
About getting trapped in our own spin track web and continuing with this spin-track formula:
“This track wasn’t purely a spinning track. That’s what I’m trying to say—if you look at both Tests, the fast bowlers who bent their backs and bowled with intensity got success. Spinners took wickets here, batters scored runs too. So, I think it was a good pitch. It’s not like we’ve gone all-in on spin tracks like in the West Indies, where there was no home advantage left. Here, whoever bowled with line, length, and consistency got wickets. I think these kinds of pitches are good for our cricket. That’s my personal opinion. Everyone has the right to their own view. But looking at it, I feel these pitches will produce Test match results, and we can perform well on them.”
“The collapse actually began in the first innings—316 for 5, and then we lost five wickets for just 15 runs. I believe that was the real turning point. If we had capitalized on our position and scored around 400 or 450 runs—especially considering the partnership between Salman Ali Agha and Mohammad Rizwan—we could’ve been in a commanding position. But we failed to utilize that stand.”
“Credit must go to the opposition. The way they played yesterday, we were in a situation where we could’ve taken the lead. But credit goes to Muthusamy—his shot selection was perfect. His partnership with Keshav Maharaj was worth 70 runs, and then the 95-run stand with Kagiso Rabada. When you’re up against a quality side, and if you noticed, within a span of 20 minutes, we gave them five chances—dropped catches, missed stumpings, and a run-out opportunity. When you offer such chances to a top team, they will attack you, and that’s exactly what happened. We ended up conceding extra runs.”
About no contribution from tailenders and steps needed moving forward:
“That’s a very valid point, and it’s something we’ve addressed. This has happened four times across these two Test matches—we’ve lost wickets in clusters. Like today, we lost six wickets for 44 runs. That’s just not acceptable. I think we need to take responsibility. In both of our camps, we discussed this issue—that when your top seven batters score around 270–280 runs, the lower order’s contribution becomes crucial. If you look at the opposition, they’ve outperformed us in this regard during this Test match.”
“We need to keep working on these areas. Unfortunately, we played our last Test match in January, and now we’re playing again. Our next Test is in March. We need to play regular Test matches so we can cope with these challenges.”
About the learning from this game:
“We need to work on our game. Players should know their scoring shots. Players should know their scoring options. Take Muthusamy, for example—you can learn from the opposition. He scored most of his runs through reverse sweeps and sweeps. So, we need to be aware of your scoring options. Today, when we went out to bat, we started blocking too much. We should’ve rotated the strike and put pressure on the opposition. That way, they wouldn’t have bowled in those areas. Like they did—yes, they had 68 or 70 runs, but if they had 200, it would’ve been a different ball game.”
“Definitely, you need mental toughness. International cricket is all about how you cope under pressure—how you manage those situations. We didn’t manage things well, and whether it’s through a sports psychologist or through players gaining mastery over their own game, they need to know their scoring options, attacking options, and defensive options.”
About the spin-friendly tracks going forward:
“If you talk about the West Indies, those pitches had excessive spin. But if you look at these two Test matches, everyone had equal opportunity. Batters who applied themselves scored runs. Bowlers—both spinners and fast bowlers—took wickets. I think these pitches were much better than the West Indies ones. They offered equal chances.”
“As for South Africa’s bowling, Maharaj is one of the best spinners in the world—there’s no question about it. And Harmer, who took his 1000th wicket today, has vast experience. That’s why they were the number one side last year—they tick all the boxes.”
“Moving forward, if we want to win Test matches at home, we have to play better against spin. And in pressure situations, we must learn to absorb and cope.”
About preparing tracks that assist fast bowlers:
“If we go back to last year, we tried to prepare fast pitches against Bangladesh. Unfortunately, we played during a time when those fast pitches didn’t offer much help due to weather conditions. So, moving forward, if we want to prepare such pitches, we’ll need to replicate them in domestic cricket as well. That way, our spinners and batters can score big runs and learn how to play in those conditions.”
“Unfortunately, in our previous first-class cricket setup, the ball used to seam a lot. Spinners never got a chance, and reverse swing had almost disappeared from the game. If we start preparing balanced pitches, fast bowlers will have a role, spinners will get opportunities, and reverse swing will return too.”
About Pakistan batters struggling in their own home conditions:
“This is the time to show character. We discussed this even in the morning—that when you’re under pressure, that’s when partnerships matter. Our two best batters went in to bat, and unfortunately, we lost a wicket in the very first over. That puts pressure on you.”
“Of course, we’ll work on this. But the reality is, we’ve only played four Test matches in the past year. Moving forward, we have around 11 Tests next year. Only by playing more Tests will we learn to absorb pressure.”
“If you look at our players—take Babar Azam or Abdullah Shafique, for example—they haven’t played much first-class cricket. Abdullah has played a few matches; Babar, too, hasn’t played a lot of first-class Tests. When you play day in and day out in domestic conditions, you learn how to cope with pressure. In international cricket, your performance is under the spotlight. If you fail, you don’t know how to bounce back unless you’ve faced that grind before. So, I believe domestic cricket is the best answer—go and play.”
About batters not stepping up in crucial moments—playing innings that could bring Pakistan back into the match:
“Salman Ali Agha is one of those players—he’s batting at number seven. But unfortunately, if you look at the England series, our lower order—Nauman, Sajid—they scored runs. That’s what helped us win the Test series. Here, unfortunately, Salman Ali Agha got out on 93. That happened because wickets kept falling at the other end, and he was under pressure. Salman Ali Agha did his part, but our lower order didn’t justify their role, and that’s why we struggled.”
About not having any good all-rounder in the country:
“That’s not the case. If we don’t have them, we’ll have to develop them. We need to find those players. For example, we had Aamer Jamal—he performed really well in Australia. It’s not that all-rounders aren’t emerging. But we need to be consistent in their selection, based on conditions. In this squad of 18, Aamer Jamal was part of it. But considering the conditions, we needed someone who could reverse the ball. Hasan Ali and Shaheen Shah Afridi were the best options for us, so we went with them. But moving forward, when we tour abroad, we’ll definitely need all-rounders like Aamer Jamal to balance the side.”
About not playing enough Test cricket and the middle and lower-middle order not performing:
“That’s a concern. Whether it’s the third innings or fourth, our record isn’t great. To develop in these areas, we need to play more Test cricket. Unfortunately, if you play only four Tests a year and then regroup after six months, you don’t get enough time. Nowadays, with ODIs and T20s dominating, you don’t get those opportunities. But in the coming year, you’ll see—we’ll work on these shortcomings and improve, Insha’Allah.”
About selecting the best playing 11 based on the conditions:
“We were monitoring the pitch closely—how we wanted the ball to spin. There are two ways to get spin: either the pitch is soft, like in Multan against England when Saqlain was head coach—Abrar took seven wickets on a soft pitch, and the ball spun early in the session. Now, we’re trying to control moisture and generate spin through dryness. As far as the pitches go, I’m fully satisfied with both. Regarding the team combination—some said we picked the wrong seamer in Lahore, others said we picked the wrong spinner here. But the spinner we selected took six for fifty, so that shows the decision was right. If you look at the opposition, they also played three spinners.”
About getting trapped in our own spin track web and continuing with this spin-track formula:
“This track wasn’t purely a spinning track. That’s what I’m trying to say—if you look at both Tests, the fast bowlers who bent their backs and bowled with intensity got success. Spinners took wickets here, batters scored runs too. So, I think it was a good pitch. It’s not like we’ve gone all-in on spin tracks like in the West Indies, where there was no home advantage left. Here, whoever bowled with line, length, and consistency got wickets. I think these kinds of pitches are good for our cricket. That’s my personal opinion. Everyone has the right to their own view. But looking at it, I feel these pitches will produce Test match results, and we can perform well on them.”
