PAK vs SL 2017: Azhar Ali Hopeful of Pakistan Coming Back Strong in Second Test

Oct 5, 2017 at 11:16 AM

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PAK vs SL 2017: Azhar Ali Hopeful of Pakistan Coming Back Strong in Second Test

After the shocking loss in the first Test, Pakistan opener Azhar Ali has insisted his team would bounce back in the second Test against Sri Lanka.

Pakistan’s infamous ability to come up with a horror performance now and then was at best in Abu Dhabi, as they capitulated spectacularly on the fifth-day pitch to lose the series-opener by 21 runs while chasing a modest 136.

Sarfraz Ahmed & Co. began the journey without Misbah-ul-Haq and Younis Khan on a good note, scoring 422 in the first inning in reply to Sri Lanka’s 419 but their second innings performance was enough to show that the way ahead without the two stalwarts will not be easy. Chasing 136, they kept on losing wickets at regular intervals with only three players managing to cross the double-digit mark, as they were bowled out for 114.

However, Azhar is confident the team can bounce back in the second match, starting on Friday (October 6).

“We are disappointed, but we have fought back well before. It wasn’t a big target, but batting on the last day wasn’t easy. We should have chased down the target, but we lost too many wickets earlier on and couldn’t recover,” Azhar told journalists on Wednesday (October 4).

“We have lessons to learn from that experience. Had someone batted for long enough in the first innings, we would have ended up getting a bigger lead. Had we done that, things would have been different. The biggest lesson that we have learnt is that when we have things under control, we should make use of them to the maximum,” he added.

Rangana Herath was the destructor-in-chief for the hosts, taking 11 wickets including six for 43 in the second innings. The last time Pakistan had faced the left-arm spinner, he had managed to pick up only two wickets in two Tests.

However, the Pakistan batsmen looked clueless against the veteran spinner as he bowled his team to an unlikely win.

Speaking about that, Azhar said:

“Well those were different conditions and here too we had plans against him, but conditions were different. This is also a young team, and some of them were playing him for the first time. Even I have got out for him some six times. He is a great bowler with 400 Test wickets to his name. Over the years, sometimes we have dominated him, and at other times he has made his presence felt. I felt this time; he adjusted to our plans.”

The former skipper concluded by insisting that chasing a total on the fifth-day pitch is not easy irrespective of the score.

“In the fourth innings and on the final day, whatever the target you get it’s not easy to score. At lunch, we discussed about how to play positive and not to get bogged down, but unfortunately, we lost early wickets, and they cashed in,” he concluded.

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