- Joined
- Oct 2, 2004
- Runs
- 218,133
Azhar Ali speaking to the media:
"I would like to send our best wishes to Arshad Nadeem who is representing Pakistan in the Javelin Throw event in the Tokyo Olympics and has qualified for the final of the event; We will all try and watch this event tomorrow, and we pray that he makes us all proud tomorrow and is able to win the medal for Pakistan"
"Even we were disappointed to see that the T20Is were effected by rain; After practice, we used to look forward to watching these games and were very excited about them but the matches would be called off"
"The number of Tests we play have been on the low side for a while now which is slightly frustrating as a Test player; But sometimes there are circumstances which means that less number of Tests are played; As a player, one is disappointed but what can we do about it? All we can do is to perform the best we can for Pakistan; The WTC has begun again so we will try our best to get a good start in it"
"These 2 Tests are very important for us in terms of the WTC as we have seen that once a team takes the lead in the points table, other sides come under pressure to catch up. So it's a great opportunity for us to make a good start here against the West Indies and we then have the home series against Bangladesh as well; So the idea is to get a good start against our hosts but we also know that the series in the West Indies has always been a tough one for us; The West Indies in their home conditions always give a tough time to the visitors; It will be up to us to play according to our potential and to utilize the experience we picked up from our previous Test series here"
"All teams are always very tough to beat in their home conditions as they have a good idea of how bowl here especially with the Duke ball; The Windies bowling attack in Tests is a seasoned one with the likes of Gabriel, Roach, Holder and Joseph who are all pacy bowlers; So they have a good seam bowling attack and it will be a good challenge for our batsmen but we have performed well against them in the past and we will look to do the same in this series also"
"West Indies are very good at home as we saw in the 2017 series where despite us being strong side, we lost the 2nd Test and really had to fight hard to win the 3rd Test; So you need to put in a lot of effort to win any games here"
"Whilst we need to improve our overseas Test record, we have won Test series in foreign locations in the past"
"In Jamaica, historically the ball has carried well and in our last visit there, Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Abbas bowled well; Having said that, until we reach there we won't know about the nature of the pitch as sometimes they have prepared slow pitches also; But the good thing is that we have both options when it comes to our bowling; We have both options in our side so if the pitch favours spin bowling, then we have world-class spinners and if it helps pace then we also have that as an option"
"Given that ICC has now introduced the WTC, all my focus is to ensure I do well in Tests and help my side win important points and then win the Championship; Helping win the WTC for Pakistan will be a great achievement for me"
"I don't think there is any danger that Test cricket will fade out- although I do hope that just because some people are saying it, this doesn't become a reality"
"People who watch Test cricket continue to be fans of this format and I hope that the Almighty grants them a long life and they continue to inspire others to do the same"
"In our part of the world, based on what I have heard and seen, there is a possibility that Tests could be removed from our cricketing calendar or attempts made to do that; In England, Australia, New Zealand we see the crowds coming to see Tests like they did before and there is a big media following also."
"I would like to send our best wishes to Arshad Nadeem who is representing Pakistan in the Javelin Throw event in the Tokyo Olympics and has qualified for the final of the event; We will all try and watch this event tomorrow, and we pray that he makes us all proud tomorrow and is able to win the medal for Pakistan"
"Even we were disappointed to see that the T20Is were effected by rain; After practice, we used to look forward to watching these games and were very excited about them but the matches would be called off"
"The number of Tests we play have been on the low side for a while now which is slightly frustrating as a Test player; But sometimes there are circumstances which means that less number of Tests are played; As a player, one is disappointed but what can we do about it? All we can do is to perform the best we can for Pakistan; The WTC has begun again so we will try our best to get a good start in it"
"These 2 Tests are very important for us in terms of the WTC as we have seen that once a team takes the lead in the points table, other sides come under pressure to catch up. So it's a great opportunity for us to make a good start here against the West Indies and we then have the home series against Bangladesh as well; So the idea is to get a good start against our hosts but we also know that the series in the West Indies has always been a tough one for us; The West Indies in their home conditions always give a tough time to the visitors; It will be up to us to play according to our potential and to utilize the experience we picked up from our previous Test series here"
"All teams are always very tough to beat in their home conditions as they have a good idea of how bowl here especially with the Duke ball; The Windies bowling attack in Tests is a seasoned one with the likes of Gabriel, Roach, Holder and Joseph who are all pacy bowlers; So they have a good seam bowling attack and it will be a good challenge for our batsmen but we have performed well against them in the past and we will look to do the same in this series also"
"West Indies are very good at home as we saw in the 2017 series where despite us being strong side, we lost the 2nd Test and really had to fight hard to win the 3rd Test; So you need to put in a lot of effort to win any games here"
"Whilst we need to improve our overseas Test record, we have won Test series in foreign locations in the past"
"In Jamaica, historically the ball has carried well and in our last visit there, Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Abbas bowled well; Having said that, until we reach there we won't know about the nature of the pitch as sometimes they have prepared slow pitches also; But the good thing is that we have both options when it comes to our bowling; We have both options in our side so if the pitch favours spin bowling, then we have world-class spinners and if it helps pace then we also have that as an option"
"Given that ICC has now introduced the WTC, all my focus is to ensure I do well in Tests and help my side win important points and then win the Championship; Helping win the WTC for Pakistan will be a great achievement for me"
"I don't think there is any danger that Test cricket will fade out- although I do hope that just because some people are saying it, this doesn't become a reality"
"People who watch Test cricket continue to be fans of this format and I hope that the Almighty grants them a long life and they continue to inspire others to do the same"
"In our part of the world, based on what I have heard and seen, there is a possibility that Tests could be removed from our cricketing calendar or attempts made to do that; In England, Australia, New Zealand we see the crowds coming to see Tests like they did before and there is a big media following also."
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