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- Aug 12, 2023
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Hussain Talat in a post-match press conference after winning against Sri Lanka in the Super Four clash of the Asia Cup 2025:
Question: Congratulations on the win! Your international journey has been a long one, almost 6.5 years, and it seems your hard work has finally paid off. You've been in and out of the team. How would you summarize your journey, and how challenging were the conditions today? You took two wickets while bowling, and then, after five wickets fell for just 80 runs, the entire match depended on you.
Hussain: First of all, thank God we won the match, which was crucial for us. Regarding my international career, I believe my performances were quite good when I first started a year and a half ago. But somehow, after the 2019 World Cup, the management changed, and I was dropped. I came back in 2021, played three matches, and was dropped again. Throughout this journey, I have continued to work hard, which hasn't been easy. Playing domestic cricket regularly is tough, but I'm glad I kept working hard, and I will continue to do so.
Question: Before this match, Pakistan lost to India in the Super Four stage. What was the mood like in the team camp? Was there a sense of disappointment before this match?
Hussain: There wasn't any pressure, but obviously, we had lost, so nobody was feeling good. We all wanted to win that match, and our nation wanted us to win too. We gave our best effort. There was a lot of criticism going around, which we try to avoid. Sometimes, it's not good for the entire team, especially before a crucial match, but thank God we managed it.
Question: Congratulations on your comeback and winning the match for the team. We often talk about game awareness, which has been a problem recently. Also, our batsmen struggle to read spinners from their hands. Was this discussed in the camp, and what do you personally do to improve this skill?
Hussain: I've talked about this before in a press conference, maybe during the PSL. As a collective, all of us—including the media and the public—we say we need a number four or five player who can play all three types of cricket (T20, ODI, Test). But there are more chances of failure in that role, and unfortunately, in our country, if a player fails in one or two matches or a series, everyone, including the media and the public, gets after them, and they end up being dropped. I think playing in the middle order is the most difficult job because you have to play all three formats. If it's so difficult, then there should also be more chances. We have very few good middle-order batsmen in Pakistan who can play all formats. You can count them on your fingers, and if you ask them, they don't even want to play that role.
Question: Can you talk about your bowling? Two months ago, you bowled three overs in a match, but other than that, you've never bowled more than one over in an international T20 match. Were the conditions such that you were given the eighth over today? Nobody was expecting that.
Hussain: No, this was a pre-planned decision. We knew that if we batted first in Abu Dhabi, the pitch would support the pacers because it was a sticky, double-paced wicket. It was already planned. I am a batting all-rounder, so I get a chance to bowl only when needed. The Pakistan team now has many options—Saim bowls, Agha bowls, then there's Nawaz and Faheem. With so many options, and my primary role being batting, I have been working a lot on my bowling with the coach ever since I joined the team. Thank God it paid off today.
Question: Pakistan has been in the UAE for about a month now for the Tri-nation series and the Asia Cup. Even today, when Pakistan lost five wickets at 80, no one thought the team could win the title. You surprised everyone in the Tri-nation series final by beating Afghanistan, who were considered the best team. Can we hope that the Pakistan cricket team has its eyes on the Asia Cup title, especially since we've already lost to India twice?
Hussain: Yes, absolutely. We are hopeful. The team's environment is very good. We have been playing together for a long time, ever since Bangladesh came to Pakistan. We have so many options, and the best thing about this group is that the players are being backed. Earlier, players would be changed after two failed matches. Now they are getting consistent chances, which is what we see happening in international cricket, and that's when players start to respond. So, God willing, we have two matches left, and if we play well, the trophy will be ours.
Question: Congratulations on your excellent performance! When you were included in the last match, there was a lot of criticism about why you were selected. What would you like to say in response to that? Also, what were you and Nawaz talking about when you were batting with five wickets down for 80 runs?
Hussain: I don't think that criticism was necessary. I have performed a lot to get here. That's why we try to stay away from social media. But even then, these things get into our minds, which is not good for individual players. People should be supportive. These are the best players we have. They have performed their way to get here, and it's not easy. It takes a lot of hard work.
Question: What were you and Nawaz talking about during your partnership?
Hussain: My energy was very low today because of the bowling and the high humidity. I told Nawaz that we need to play a long innings because our team's plan is to play aggressively. But after I came out to bat, two more wickets fell quickly, so my gut feeling was that I had to bat for a long time if we were to win this match. If we lost one or two more wickets, it would become very difficult. We talked about playing a long innings. After Nawaz hit two fours off Hasaranga, he said, "I will go for my shots, and you continue to bat long." Thank God it worked for us.
Question: When you were batting, our top-order batsmen got out. Was the pitch difficult to bat on, or were their bowlers just performing well?
Hussain: As I said before, the pitch was a bit sticky, but it got better in the second innings. I think we got out early, which put more pressure on us. And towards the end, we had fewer batsmen left. We were the last pair of specialist batsmen, so we had to make sure we took the game deep.
Question: Congratulations on the win! Your international journey has been a long one, almost 6.5 years, and it seems your hard work has finally paid off. You've been in and out of the team. How would you summarize your journey, and how challenging were the conditions today? You took two wickets while bowling, and then, after five wickets fell for just 80 runs, the entire match depended on you.
Hussain: First of all, thank God we won the match, which was crucial for us. Regarding my international career, I believe my performances were quite good when I first started a year and a half ago. But somehow, after the 2019 World Cup, the management changed, and I was dropped. I came back in 2021, played three matches, and was dropped again. Throughout this journey, I have continued to work hard, which hasn't been easy. Playing domestic cricket regularly is tough, but I'm glad I kept working hard, and I will continue to do so.
Question: Before this match, Pakistan lost to India in the Super Four stage. What was the mood like in the team camp? Was there a sense of disappointment before this match?
Hussain: There wasn't any pressure, but obviously, we had lost, so nobody was feeling good. We all wanted to win that match, and our nation wanted us to win too. We gave our best effort. There was a lot of criticism going around, which we try to avoid. Sometimes, it's not good for the entire team, especially before a crucial match, but thank God we managed it.
Question: Congratulations on your comeback and winning the match for the team. We often talk about game awareness, which has been a problem recently. Also, our batsmen struggle to read spinners from their hands. Was this discussed in the camp, and what do you personally do to improve this skill?
Hussain: I've talked about this before in a press conference, maybe during the PSL. As a collective, all of us—including the media and the public—we say we need a number four or five player who can play all three types of cricket (T20, ODI, Test). But there are more chances of failure in that role, and unfortunately, in our country, if a player fails in one or two matches or a series, everyone, including the media and the public, gets after them, and they end up being dropped. I think playing in the middle order is the most difficult job because you have to play all three formats. If it's so difficult, then there should also be more chances. We have very few good middle-order batsmen in Pakistan who can play all formats. You can count them on your fingers, and if you ask them, they don't even want to play that role.
Question: Can you talk about your bowling? Two months ago, you bowled three overs in a match, but other than that, you've never bowled more than one over in an international T20 match. Were the conditions such that you were given the eighth over today? Nobody was expecting that.
Hussain: No, this was a pre-planned decision. We knew that if we batted first in Abu Dhabi, the pitch would support the pacers because it was a sticky, double-paced wicket. It was already planned. I am a batting all-rounder, so I get a chance to bowl only when needed. The Pakistan team now has many options—Saim bowls, Agha bowls, then there's Nawaz and Faheem. With so many options, and my primary role being batting, I have been working a lot on my bowling with the coach ever since I joined the team. Thank God it paid off today.
Question: Pakistan has been in the UAE for about a month now for the Tri-nation series and the Asia Cup. Even today, when Pakistan lost five wickets at 80, no one thought the team could win the title. You surprised everyone in the Tri-nation series final by beating Afghanistan, who were considered the best team. Can we hope that the Pakistan cricket team has its eyes on the Asia Cup title, especially since we've already lost to India twice?
Hussain: Yes, absolutely. We are hopeful. The team's environment is very good. We have been playing together for a long time, ever since Bangladesh came to Pakistan. We have so many options, and the best thing about this group is that the players are being backed. Earlier, players would be changed after two failed matches. Now they are getting consistent chances, which is what we see happening in international cricket, and that's when players start to respond. So, God willing, we have two matches left, and if we play well, the trophy will be ours.
Question: Congratulations on your excellent performance! When you were included in the last match, there was a lot of criticism about why you were selected. What would you like to say in response to that? Also, what were you and Nawaz talking about when you were batting with five wickets down for 80 runs?
Hussain: I don't think that criticism was necessary. I have performed a lot to get here. That's why we try to stay away from social media. But even then, these things get into our minds, which is not good for individual players. People should be supportive. These are the best players we have. They have performed their way to get here, and it's not easy. It takes a lot of hard work.
Question: What were you and Nawaz talking about during your partnership?
Hussain: My energy was very low today because of the bowling and the high humidity. I told Nawaz that we need to play a long innings because our team's plan is to play aggressively. But after I came out to bat, two more wickets fell quickly, so my gut feeling was that I had to bat for a long time if we were to win this match. If we lost one or two more wickets, it would become very difficult. We talked about playing a long innings. After Nawaz hit two fours off Hasaranga, he said, "I will go for my shots, and you continue to bat long." Thank God it worked for us.
Question: When you were batting, our top-order batsmen got out. Was the pitch difficult to bat on, or were their bowlers just performing well?
Hussain: As I said before, the pitch was a bit sticky, but it got better in the second innings. I think we got out early, which put more pressure on us. And towards the end, we had fewer batsmen left. We were the last pair of specialist batsmen, so we had to make sure we took the game deep.
