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Azhar Mahmood speaking during the Press Conference ahead of the 2nd Test match against South Africa:
About addressing the flaws before the 2nd Test match:
“Even after 1st Test match, I spoke about it—the day we lost six wickets, we acknowledged that it was an area of concern. Losing wickets back-to-back is not ideal. We discussed it, worked on it, and the plan is to ensure that we avoid such collapses. The nature of the pitch makes it slightly challenging for new batters. But once they settle, they can perform. If you look at the pitch from the 1st Test, it was ideal for everyone. You saw reverse swing, assistance for pace, help for spin, and batters who applied themselves got good results. Overall, it was a balanced pitch. As a team, we want to ensure we don’t repeat our mistakes. Allah has given us a chance to win this series, and we want to make the most of it. We’re playing against one of the best sides right now—they won’t keep giving us chances.”
About the importance of Pakistan winning this series 2-0, considering the World Test Championship:
“Every match is important. And as you mentioned, the World Test Championship—there’s no such thing as a dull match anymore. If you win a series against a team like this, it massively boosts your confidence. Given how we started, our aim is to perform as well as possible. Of course, there’s no guarantee of results. I’ve said before that throughout a Test match, we need to win sessions. We need to improve our processes and stick to our basics consistently over a long period.”
About the plan, if Pakistan loses the toss and also changes expected for the upcoming game:
“Regarding the last Test, Shaheen is a wonderful bowler. Our decision to play two seamers drew some criticism—people questioned why we went with two. But you saw that our planning was based on the expectation of a significant reverse swing, which is why we picked two seamers. For this match, we’re still assessing. We’ll finalize the XI in the morning after looking at the pitch and conditions. The pitch looks quite dry, so there’s a possibility of changes, but not too many—maybe one or two at most.”
“Even in the previous match, the pitch was similar. Winning the toss definitely helped us post a good score. But even on the fourth day, there were partnerships. So, the key is to apply ourselves. We don’t want the outcome of a Test match to hinge solely on the toss. Our aim remains the same—even if we lose the toss, we want to score 350-plus in the first innings.”
About batters struggling against Spin and bowling combinations:
“Even before this camp, our players were playing first-class cricket. The purpose of this camp was to prepare for these types of pitches. We need to learn how to adapt to spin. That means having different shot options and scoring strategies. That’s exactly what we’ve been working on. If we’re going to follow this method at home, then we must know how to play spin. As for our players—Alhamdulillah, all seven batters who played in this Test contributed runs. Four scored in the first innings, and three in the second. So everyone played their part.”
“Unfortunately, our lower order didn’t perform. We expect not just bowling contributions from them, but also runs. Even in the previous series, you saw how well Noman and Sajid performed. Hasan Ali can bat, Shaheen can bat. So, we expect contributions from them too. The top seven are solid, but lower-order runs matter—something we lacked in the last Test. If you look at South Africa, their last four wickets added around 90 runs. These are the areas we’re discussing and trying to improve.”
“We haven’t finalized bowling combination yet—it could be a 3-1 combination, but nothing is decided.”
About the team’s morale winning WTC:
“As far as winning the World Test Championship goes, I’ve said in press conferences before—we’re playing six home Tests, and they’re crucial for us. Obviously, we’ll have to go step by step. We’ll be playing in overseas conditions—West Indies, Bangladesh, and England. That’s why I keep emphasizing process. If our processes are right and we take it match by match—session by session—we’ll progress. But yes, the goal is to win the World Test Championship, Insha’Allah.”
“As for this team, it’s been playing together for a while now. The boys’ morale is high. They know what’s at stake. Their effort was evident—on the last day, you saw how composed and united they were. That’s what builds team morale. As for my own future, I’m just focused on this Test match. I’ve spoken about it before—whatever happens after, we’ll see.”
About making spin-friendly tracks:
“When you play at home, your priority is figuring out how to take 20 wickets—whether through spin or pace. Wherever we play, our aim is to win the Test match. That could be through spin, or through pace—we have the ability in both departments.”
“There’s been a lot of criticism lately—especially on social media—about my comments on spin. People say I claimed we don’t have quality spinners. I urge you to check my press conferences, especially the one before the Bangladesh series. I said we didn’t have spinners in the squad, not that we don’t have spinners in the country. I can name ten quality spinners for the future. That narrative was twisted, and I think it’s important to clarify that.”
“Coming back to your question: we’ll assess how best to take 20 wickets. When teams like Sri Lanka visit—who play spin well—we’ll plan differently. But against countries that struggle with spin, we’ll try to win through spin and reverse swing.”
About playing three or even five-Test series in the future:
“Yes, we’ve had that discussion. As a team, we’d love to play at least a three-Test series. Five is difficult in today’s scheduling, but three should be the minimum.”
About the plan to counter the spin attack of South Africa:
“We’re playing against one of the best teams in the world. They’ve lost a Test match—they won’t go down easily. They’ll try hard to bounce back. Keshav Maharaj is a quality spinner, one of the best in the world. His return will lift their morale and increase our challenges.”
“We’ve prepared for this. We held a camp keeping these challenges in mind—Maharaj, Rabada, and others. We’ve done our homework. Now it’s time to execute. We know what challenges lie ahead and how to respond. On the day, it’s all about execution and making the right decisions—whether you’re batting, bowling, or fielding.”
About addressing the flaws before the 2nd Test match:
“Even after 1st Test match, I spoke about it—the day we lost six wickets, we acknowledged that it was an area of concern. Losing wickets back-to-back is not ideal. We discussed it, worked on it, and the plan is to ensure that we avoid such collapses. The nature of the pitch makes it slightly challenging for new batters. But once they settle, they can perform. If you look at the pitch from the 1st Test, it was ideal for everyone. You saw reverse swing, assistance for pace, help for spin, and batters who applied themselves got good results. Overall, it was a balanced pitch. As a team, we want to ensure we don’t repeat our mistakes. Allah has given us a chance to win this series, and we want to make the most of it. We’re playing against one of the best sides right now—they won’t keep giving us chances.”
About the importance of Pakistan winning this series 2-0, considering the World Test Championship:
“Every match is important. And as you mentioned, the World Test Championship—there’s no such thing as a dull match anymore. If you win a series against a team like this, it massively boosts your confidence. Given how we started, our aim is to perform as well as possible. Of course, there’s no guarantee of results. I’ve said before that throughout a Test match, we need to win sessions. We need to improve our processes and stick to our basics consistently over a long period.”
About the plan, if Pakistan loses the toss and also changes expected for the upcoming game:
“Regarding the last Test, Shaheen is a wonderful bowler. Our decision to play two seamers drew some criticism—people questioned why we went with two. But you saw that our planning was based on the expectation of a significant reverse swing, which is why we picked two seamers. For this match, we’re still assessing. We’ll finalize the XI in the morning after looking at the pitch and conditions. The pitch looks quite dry, so there’s a possibility of changes, but not too many—maybe one or two at most.”
“Even in the previous match, the pitch was similar. Winning the toss definitely helped us post a good score. But even on the fourth day, there were partnerships. So, the key is to apply ourselves. We don’t want the outcome of a Test match to hinge solely on the toss. Our aim remains the same—even if we lose the toss, we want to score 350-plus in the first innings.”
About batters struggling against Spin and bowling combinations:
“Even before this camp, our players were playing first-class cricket. The purpose of this camp was to prepare for these types of pitches. We need to learn how to adapt to spin. That means having different shot options and scoring strategies. That’s exactly what we’ve been working on. If we’re going to follow this method at home, then we must know how to play spin. As for our players—Alhamdulillah, all seven batters who played in this Test contributed runs. Four scored in the first innings, and three in the second. So everyone played their part.”
“Unfortunately, our lower order didn’t perform. We expect not just bowling contributions from them, but also runs. Even in the previous series, you saw how well Noman and Sajid performed. Hasan Ali can bat, Shaheen can bat. So, we expect contributions from them too. The top seven are solid, but lower-order runs matter—something we lacked in the last Test. If you look at South Africa, their last four wickets added around 90 runs. These are the areas we’re discussing and trying to improve.”
“We haven’t finalized bowling combination yet—it could be a 3-1 combination, but nothing is decided.”
About the team’s morale winning WTC:
“As far as winning the World Test Championship goes, I’ve said in press conferences before—we’re playing six home Tests, and they’re crucial for us. Obviously, we’ll have to go step by step. We’ll be playing in overseas conditions—West Indies, Bangladesh, and England. That’s why I keep emphasizing process. If our processes are right and we take it match by match—session by session—we’ll progress. But yes, the goal is to win the World Test Championship, Insha’Allah.”
“As for this team, it’s been playing together for a while now. The boys’ morale is high. They know what’s at stake. Their effort was evident—on the last day, you saw how composed and united they were. That’s what builds team morale. As for my own future, I’m just focused on this Test match. I’ve spoken about it before—whatever happens after, we’ll see.”
About making spin-friendly tracks:
“When you play at home, your priority is figuring out how to take 20 wickets—whether through spin or pace. Wherever we play, our aim is to win the Test match. That could be through spin, or through pace—we have the ability in both departments.”
“There’s been a lot of criticism lately—especially on social media—about my comments on spin. People say I claimed we don’t have quality spinners. I urge you to check my press conferences, especially the one before the Bangladesh series. I said we didn’t have spinners in the squad, not that we don’t have spinners in the country. I can name ten quality spinners for the future. That narrative was twisted, and I think it’s important to clarify that.”
“Coming back to your question: we’ll assess how best to take 20 wickets. When teams like Sri Lanka visit—who play spin well—we’ll plan differently. But against countries that struggle with spin, we’ll try to win through spin and reverse swing.”
About playing three or even five-Test series in the future:
“Yes, we’ve had that discussion. As a team, we’d love to play at least a three-Test series. Five is difficult in today’s scheduling, but three should be the minimum.”
About the plan to counter the spin attack of South Africa:
“We’re playing against one of the best teams in the world. They’ve lost a Test match—they won’t go down easily. They’ll try hard to bounce back. Keshav Maharaj is a quality spinner, one of the best in the world. His return will lift their morale and increase our challenges.”
“We’ve prepared for this. We held a camp keeping these challenges in mind—Maharaj, Rabada, and others. We’ve done our homework. Now it’s time to execute. We know what challenges lie ahead and how to respond. On the day, it’s all about execution and making the right decisions—whether you’re batting, bowling, or fielding.”
