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Saud Shakeel speaking during a pre-match press conference:
Strategy in the 3rd Test match:
"Considering the kind of pitch we're seeing and the success we had in the second match, we'll try to follow a similar approach and hope that it favors us and we can win this match.”
“The way we played the second match and made a comeback, it's a big morale booster for the team. A win is very important for a team's morale, especially for a young team like ours. Overall, the team's morale is quite high, and we'll try to repeat the same strategy. If they're struggling, we'll try to capitalize on that and play the same kind of cricket."
About Sajid Khan and Noman Khan:
“Both were under pressure as they were making their comeback, but as much as Noman Khan has played cricket and with his experience, it was apparent on the ground that if you are playing against a team like England, you know they are going to attack. But both showed that they have the experience and have played a lot of first-class cricket in the past, so they know how to bowl. Their effort will be to contribute in the same way in the upcoming third match so that we can win there as well.”
Comparing Multan and Rawalpindi:
“If you look at Multan and Rawalpindi, there is a difference in the weather. Multan is generally hotter and more humid compared to Pindi. Pindi has always been observed to slightly favor fast bowlers because the pitch there has more bounce compared to Multan. These are a few things that might need more attention. From what is apparent in the pitch right now, I hope there will be spin.”
About selecting 3 spinners again:
“I don't have much of an idea about this right now because we haven't discussed it. But if a spin-friendly pitch is prepared and if that's our strength, then perhaps we might go with 3 spinners.”
About Mir Hamza’s fitness:
“He hasn't been in practice for the past two days. He might have some problem in his hip, which is why he hasn't participated in the last two practice sessions. I'm not entirely sure if he will be available for the match, but it seems he is experiencing some discomfort in his hip.”
About strategy for playing in SENA conditions:
“It should be decided on a series-by-series and match-by-match basis. I feel that we are quite late in deciding that if England is coming, then we should go with this combination against them and prepare pitches accordingly. The preparation you need to do, if you're going into SENA conditions, you can even simulate those in your practice through first-class cricket, like if there's a tour to South Africa in December, during that period, if there's any first-class cricket happening, we try to prepare pitches that simulate those conditions. I believe we should handle it series by series and match by match. This is my personal opinion that we are a bit late in this matter.”
About his own performance:
"I know how important it is to perform consistently for the team, especially at the number I bat at. I personally understand that. I was a bit worried that if I have played well in one match, my next one or two innings are not going well. As a professional player, you have to be ready to play one-day cricket today, T20 cricket tomorrow, and four-day cricket after that. I don't think it makes a big difference, because we had enough time to prepare ourselves. So, I don't get bogged down by these things. As a professional cricketer, you should be ready for everything, every day.”
Strategy in the 3rd Test match:
"Considering the kind of pitch we're seeing and the success we had in the second match, we'll try to follow a similar approach and hope that it favors us and we can win this match.”
“The way we played the second match and made a comeback, it's a big morale booster for the team. A win is very important for a team's morale, especially for a young team like ours. Overall, the team's morale is quite high, and we'll try to repeat the same strategy. If they're struggling, we'll try to capitalize on that and play the same kind of cricket."
About Sajid Khan and Noman Khan:
“Both were under pressure as they were making their comeback, but as much as Noman Khan has played cricket and with his experience, it was apparent on the ground that if you are playing against a team like England, you know they are going to attack. But both showed that they have the experience and have played a lot of first-class cricket in the past, so they know how to bowl. Their effort will be to contribute in the same way in the upcoming third match so that we can win there as well.”
Comparing Multan and Rawalpindi:
“If you look at Multan and Rawalpindi, there is a difference in the weather. Multan is generally hotter and more humid compared to Pindi. Pindi has always been observed to slightly favor fast bowlers because the pitch there has more bounce compared to Multan. These are a few things that might need more attention. From what is apparent in the pitch right now, I hope there will be spin.”
About selecting 3 spinners again:
“I don't have much of an idea about this right now because we haven't discussed it. But if a spin-friendly pitch is prepared and if that's our strength, then perhaps we might go with 3 spinners.”
About Mir Hamza’s fitness:
“He hasn't been in practice for the past two days. He might have some problem in his hip, which is why he hasn't participated in the last two practice sessions. I'm not entirely sure if he will be available for the match, but it seems he is experiencing some discomfort in his hip.”
About strategy for playing in SENA conditions:
“It should be decided on a series-by-series and match-by-match basis. I feel that we are quite late in deciding that if England is coming, then we should go with this combination against them and prepare pitches accordingly. The preparation you need to do, if you're going into SENA conditions, you can even simulate those in your practice through first-class cricket, like if there's a tour to South Africa in December, during that period, if there's any first-class cricket happening, we try to prepare pitches that simulate those conditions. I believe we should handle it series by series and match by match. This is my personal opinion that we are a bit late in this matter.”
About his own performance:
"I know how important it is to perform consistently for the team, especially at the number I bat at. I personally understand that. I was a bit worried that if I have played well in one match, my next one or two innings are not going well. As a professional player, you have to be ready to play one-day cricket today, T20 cricket tomorrow, and four-day cricket after that. I don't think it makes a big difference, because we had enough time to prepare ourselves. So, I don't get bogged down by these things. As a professional cricketer, you should be ready for everything, every day.”