"I should have come up the order in the last innings" : Sarfaraz Ahmed

[Abdullah719]

Pakistan captain Sarfraz Ahmed admitted that there would be pressure when they take on Sri Lanka in the second Test in Dubai given their capitulation in the first, but he believes that it won't be insurmountable. Pakistan, chasing a paltry total of 136 in Abu Dhabi, succumbed to the left-arm spin of Rangana Hearth who picked up his 400th Test wicket in Pakistan's rout. With Sri Lanka's 21-run win and a 1-0 lead in the two-Test series, Pakistan now are faced with the possibility of losing their first-ever series in the UAE since adopting it as their home since 2010.

"As such there is not much pressure, but obviously we were in a situation where we should have won the match but it was our bad luck that we didn't play well on the last day and because of that we lost the match," Sarfraz said on Thursday (October 5). "Pressure is there, so we have motivated the players and I am very hopeful that we will win the last game and level the series.

"We have told the players that we did not play well and that's why we have lost, so these are the players who will take the team forward and win us this game, so we are backing the batting line-up and hope they will win us the game," he added, also acknowledging that he should have come up the order in the Abu Dhabi Test given the situation of the game wherein he came in at No.7 with the side reeling at 36 for 5.

Herath was the prime wrecker in chief picking 11 wickets in the game with five-wicket hauls in both innings. The wily veteran initiated Pakistan's slide when he sent back opener Sami Aslam in the fourth over of the second innings, and fittingly, wrapped up the win after trapping Mohammad Abbas leg before and bowling Pakistan out for 114. However, the Pakistan skipper said that attacking him was the only way to counter his onslaught.

"First of all, credit to him for taking 400 wickets. He has done well for Sri Lanka, he is the number one spinner, so the plan will be to attack him. The last time we played in Sri lanka we attacked him so this time we will try to put pressure on him."

The second Test will be Sri Lanka's first encounter with the pink ball, while Pakistan, on the other hand, have already played two in the last year. But when asked if Pakistan had the upper hand going into the game because of their previous encounters, Sarfraz said that when the two teams take the field on Friday, they will be on even keel.

"As such there will be no advantage. We played a Test with the pink ball last year and there are some players who will be playing with the pink ball for the first time. Like I have played, Azhar, Amir, Yasir, Asad and Wahab. We have an idea, but I think the advantage will be for both the teams," said Sarfraz.

Pakistan though, will be without Hasan Ali for the fixture, with the pacer having trouble with his glute. Wahab Riaz was brought in after it was decided to rest Ali. The skipper, however, conceded that the combination of the team would be decided after having a look at the conditions on the day.

While Sarfraz said that the conditions incline towards opting for three seamers, he dismissed the notion of spinners not being assisted by the usage of the pink ball. "I am sure that he (Yasir Shah) will get help with the pink ball. The last time we played the day-night Test, (Devendra) Bishoo got eight wickets here, so there is nothing as such that spinners don't get wickets with the pink ball," he said.

http://www.cricbuzz.com/cricket-new...-before-sarfraz-pakistan-cricket-test-captain

 

[Abdullah719]

Pakistan captain Sarfraz Ahmed has backed his lads to bounce back from the chastening defeat in Abu Dhabi and said that they were confident of squaring the series.

Pakistan find their backs to the wall after losing the Abu Dhabi Test by 21 runs. The second Test, a day-night one, begins on Friday, with Pakistan trying to save the series.

And Sarfraz, who took over the captaincy from the now retired Misbah-ul-Haq, said that they were not short of motivation and believed that his boys would step up to the challenge.

"Obviously, the position we were in, in the previous Test, we could have won it and we were in such a position that we should have won it. But, it was our bad luck. We didn't play good cricket on the last day and we lost because of that. The pressure is there and we will try. We have motivated the boys and I'm very hopeful that we will win the next Test and level the series," Sarfraz said on Thursday.

"We didn't play good cricket and we lost. But I have confidence in my team and I believe we can bounce back from that. We have to take this team forward and these are the boys who have the responsibility to do that. We have backed them to do it. We are backing the batting line-up which played the last Test and I'm hopeful that these boys will win us the next Test," he added.

Sarfraz said that mistakes were bound to happen for a side in transition and added that the boys should be given time.

"The biggest thing is motivating the boys and backing them to do well. A poor performance here and there doesn't make much of a difference. The main thing is the more you back these boys, the better it will be for the team. We did make mistakes in the last Test and we were in a bit of a shell and played a bit slow," he said.

"So, we have worked on rectifying those mistakes and we had a talk with the boys. Again, as I said, the main thing is backing these boys and telling them to go and play their natural game and don't be scared of failure and go and give your best out there," Sarfraz added.

In hindsight, Sarfraz felt that he should have batted higher up the order when Pakistan chased that target in Abu Dhabi.

"Maybe I should have batted up the order in the last innings of the previous Test. Unfortunately, I couldn't come in earlier. But the boys who are playing, they are all good players. But I should have come up the order in the last innings as we were chasing and maybe I should have taken that chance. But, henceforth, if there is an opportunity or a situation like this, I will come up the order," said the 30-year-old.

Meanwhile, his opposite number Dinesh Chandimal isn't underestimating Pakistan and is wary of a backlash.

"Firstly, we never underestimate Pakistan. They are a really good side, especially in the last couple of series, they have played really good cricket. But we just want to keep doing our basics. The team is doing all the hard work in the practice and they all are looking forward to the second Test and try and win the series.

Chandimal revealed that the team management will take a late call on Lahiru Thirimanne. The Sri Lankan vice captain has some stiffness in his back and they will take a decision on him before the game.

https://www.khaleejtimes.com/sarfraz-backs-his-lads-to-bounce-back-against-sri-lanka

 

[Hamza_]

We need to get in Asghar.

 

[Syed1]

Yeh din bhi ana tha jub Lankan kaptaan kahay "we shouldn't underestimate Pakistan"





Thank you Mickey, Inzi and Sarfaraz

 

[anonymous_guy]

Please go with 2 spinners.

India has taught every team how to dominate oppents with the use of 2/3 spinners in subcontinent conditions even Misbah followed the same logic but Sarfraz and co. are not willing to use the advantage.

 

[Saj]

That 4th innings chase was a shambles.

It just needed one of the top 3 to attack and unsettle Herath and the other Lankan bowlers.

However Pakistan opted for the standard approach and allowed Sri Lanka to dominate the whole innings.

Sarfaraz at number 3 would have been ideal.

 

[waleed88]

That is what I said in one of my previous posts here. Sarfraz should've come up the batting order. The juniors like Shan, Babar and Sami just bottled it. It should've been an easy chase.
We chased down 80 runs in like 10 overs in 2015 Test match vs Srilanka. Hafeez went after the bowling and made it a cakepie chase for us despite Rangana bowling in the 4th innings. A simple parternship would've knocked the wind out SL tail. There are no arguements for not chasing down the total we should've been more aggressive. Team combination is secondary point is we need 130 runs to chase and we almost had 2 sessions to do it

 

[ManFan]

Looks like there will no changes to the batting order and probably Asghar coming in for the injured Hasan.

 

[giri26]

Seems like the team was under pressure and got into their shell chasing the target. Sarfaraz coming up the order might have helped but again if he had gotten out cheaply, the chase would have folded sooner.

 

[todfod 11]

I shouted my lungs out that sarafarz should come to bat early and attack but that typical timid thinking ruled.

 

[BunnyRabbit]

No use of crying over spilled milk!

 

[pakistanigoneaussie]

Glad he admitted, now to put in action, not just in tests, but esepcially in odis where he should be coming in at 4.


Loosing Hasan is a blow. WHile tests are the one format im not completely adverse to having AGRESSIVE riaz in, i none the less feel we should go with Bilal Asif, i feel we need an offspinner, and some decent hitting

 

[mmkextreme_1]

I posted this here on PP, and other posters continually questioned me

 

[KyoOne]

Finally he says something unconventional. Does not come across as astute despite being so passionate

 

[another drop catch]

first down will be better position for sarfi in tests

 

[ExpressPacer]

Yeh din bhi ana tha jub Lankan kaptaan kahay "we shouldn't underestimate Pakistan"





Thank you Mickey, Inzi and Sarfaraz

Man you have got to be kidding me with all the hate for Mickey. He's the best coach we've had since Woolmer and you can see it in the eyes of the guy that he's dedicated towards bringing a change to the side.

Do you really think that a guy who just moved to Pakistan 2 years ago has control over the corrupt, nepotistic PCB and Govt. officials? Absolutely not. The corruption starts at a very low level and goes on until the end. From getting into First Class teams, the domestic Twenty20 championship or even the Pakistan Cup - most, if not all selections kay liay kisi na kisi ki muthi garam ki gayi hoti hai.

Mickey's job is simple - unfortunately, he has little to no say in selections and his only duty is to make the best possible use of the "talent" at hand. He needs to bring the best out of the players available. I don't understand how you don't know or understand this. And this reason is exactly why we have such a diverse and supreme coaching team, be it from world class guys like Mickey, Rixon to bowling gurus in Mushy and Azhar.

The criticism of selectors is needed. The entire panel of selectors is corrupt which is why we see Akmals, Masood, Shafiq and even Shehzad making comebacks.

 

[Junaids]

That 4th innings chase was a shambles.

It just needed one of the top 3 to attack and unsettle Herath and the other Lankan bowlers.

However Pakistan opted for the standard approach and allowed Sri Lanka to dominate the whole innings.

Sarfaraz at number 3 would have been ideal.

To be precise, the fourth innings was where Umar Akmal would have lifted the score

FROM 20-2 (12 overs)

TO 75-3 (20 overs)

by scoring 40 runs from 30 balls.

 

[Zaz]

To be precise, the fourth innings was where Umar Akmal would have lifted the score

FROM 20-2 (12 overs)

TO 75-3 (20 overs)

by scoring 40 runs from 30 balls.

Which crystal ball shows this?

 

[JibranAnsari]

Sarfraz needs to find a balance between attack and defence , i like his batting and he has helped pakistan a lot in test matches in the last 3 years. After the departure of misbah and younis there is a lot more responsibility on him being the second best test batsman in the team at the moment.

 

[Ahson8]

Haris & Sarfraz should’ve been promoted so that the rest of the softies could score runs later

 

[Zeshan547]

To be precise, the fourth innings was where Umar Akmal would have lifted the score

FROM 20-2 (12 overs)

TO 75-3 (20 overs)

by scoring 40 runs from 30 balls.

This is utter rubbish, i know that Umar Akmal was once upon a time a dynamic batsman but even in his good days he was bunny vs left arm spin, he wouldn't have survived an over of herath on that pitch, and i can bet my house on it. Expexted better from you [MENTION=132916]Junaids[/MENTION]

 

[Bewal Express]

Sarfarz did this in the Champions Trophy final and we missed out on 15 runs. For me he hides too much!

 

[ask_analyse_act]

atleast send haris sohail above shafiq and babar azam...

 

[mak36]

This sort of misses the point.

The real question is why is Sarfaraz the only one capable of playing a positive innings (excluding Sohail)? The top five all play in the same way which is causing huge problems, as [MENTION=53290]Markhor[/MENTION] has explained in a previous post.

If everyone else can see it, why can't they?