Abdullah719
T20I Captain
- Joined
- Apr 16, 2013
- Runs
- 44,825
It's a catch-22 situation Pakistan have found themselves in as they look to combat another green wicket and earn a drawn test series against the Black Caps.
There was talk from the camp on Wednesday about the need to bat time in the second test in Hamilton - something they showed for a decent period in a dogged second innings display in the first test in Christchurch - but on game-eve on Thursday it was then put forward that the aggressive manner will be the best option.
Batsman Asad Shafiq, who will play his 50th test in the match at Hamilton's Seddon Park, said his side's approach at Hagley Oval - where the visitors blunted the new ball and crawled at 1.5 runs per over before eventually folding rather quickly - wasn't necessarily the wrong way to go about things at the time, but that they had learned from it.
The 30-year-old, who is set to again come in at No 6, said his side's batsmen couldn't afford to just get stuck, that they had to go out and play their shots, on a wicket where a ball will have your number at some stage, particularly on the first couple of days.
"We have to play positive, we have to play aggressive on this wicket, that's the thing I think was missing in the last match," Shafiq said.
"On a wicket like this it's very difficult to stop the ball every time, because this kind of wicket seams and swings a bit. "So it's just a matter of time [before] you get a good delivery. So before that you have to take it on.
"It's a lesson that we have learnt from our last innings, on a wicket like this we have to spend time, but as well as spending time we have to score some runs, because if we are not scoring some runs, we are not going forward.
"We used to play on these wickets in our domestic cricket, it's a good challenge for us as batsmen, and we are looking forward to being positive on this wicket."
After being rolled for 133 in their first dig at Hagley, Pakistan only managed an improvement by 38 in their second turn at bat, and after openers Sami Aslam (seven off 57 balls) and Azhar Ali (31 off 173 balls) did all the long graft, it ended up coming unstuck when the Kiwi bowlers got their tails up.
The tourists will make at least one change to their lineup, with captain Misbah-ul-Haq having travelled home following the death of his father-in-law. Azhar, the ODI skipper, will lead the side, while one of Mohammad Rizwan or Sharjeel Khan is set to come in.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/cricke...ith-the-bat-in-second-test-against-black-caps
There was talk from the camp on Wednesday about the need to bat time in the second test in Hamilton - something they showed for a decent period in a dogged second innings display in the first test in Christchurch - but on game-eve on Thursday it was then put forward that the aggressive manner will be the best option.
Batsman Asad Shafiq, who will play his 50th test in the match at Hamilton's Seddon Park, said his side's approach at Hagley Oval - where the visitors blunted the new ball and crawled at 1.5 runs per over before eventually folding rather quickly - wasn't necessarily the wrong way to go about things at the time, but that they had learned from it.
The 30-year-old, who is set to again come in at No 6, said his side's batsmen couldn't afford to just get stuck, that they had to go out and play their shots, on a wicket where a ball will have your number at some stage, particularly on the first couple of days.
"We have to play positive, we have to play aggressive on this wicket, that's the thing I think was missing in the last match," Shafiq said.
"On a wicket like this it's very difficult to stop the ball every time, because this kind of wicket seams and swings a bit. "So it's just a matter of time [before] you get a good delivery. So before that you have to take it on.
"It's a lesson that we have learnt from our last innings, on a wicket like this we have to spend time, but as well as spending time we have to score some runs, because if we are not scoring some runs, we are not going forward.
"We used to play on these wickets in our domestic cricket, it's a good challenge for us as batsmen, and we are looking forward to being positive on this wicket."
After being rolled for 133 in their first dig at Hagley, Pakistan only managed an improvement by 38 in their second turn at bat, and after openers Sami Aslam (seven off 57 balls) and Azhar Ali (31 off 173 balls) did all the long graft, it ended up coming unstuck when the Kiwi bowlers got their tails up.
The tourists will make at least one change to their lineup, with captain Misbah-ul-Haq having travelled home following the death of his father-in-law. Azhar, the ODI skipper, will lead the side, while one of Mohammad Rizwan or Sharjeel Khan is set to come in.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/cricke...ith-the-bat-in-second-test-against-black-caps
