The former Pakistan batter, Basit Ali, has slammed the assistant coach of the national side, Azhar Mahmood, during the first of the two-match Test series against Bangladesh at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium for wearing the cap backward during the press conference. He has asked the coach not to repeat such behavior in the future.
Azhar Mahmood has featured in 164 games in international cricket for Pakistan, where he has picked up 162 wickets, at an average of nearly 36, during the period between 1996 and 2007. The veteran has experience playing in various leagues around the globe.
However, the former middle-order batter of the side, Basit Ali, has displayed his disappointment with the assistant coach after seeing him not showing respect for the star of Pakistan’s cap. According to him, it would have been understandable had a foreign coach shown such behavior.
“Being a Pakistani, I did not like what Azhar Mahmood did. You have served Pakistan. I wouldn’t have said anything had any Australian done something like this.” The 53-year-old expressed in a video shared on his YouTube channel.
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“You are wearing Pakistan’s cap backward in the press conference, please don’t do such things. Do you not like the star on Pakistan’s cap? The country has given so much. You may have a British passport, but please don’t repeat this.” The veteran added.
Azhar Mahmood admits Pakistan’s mistake in reading the pitch
On a flat surface under hot and humid conditions, the Pakistan side decided to leave out their lone spinner in the game and went with an all-pace attack. The likes of Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah were experienced bowlers, while they got support from Khurram Shahzad and Mohammad Ali.
Winning the toss, Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto decided to bowl first on a surface that looked a bit grassy with some green color on it. There was a delayed start in the game due to the overnight rain, and once the visitors got three quick and early wickets in the game, it felt like the brightest decision.
But a 98-run stand for the fourth wicket between Saim Ayub and Saud Shakeel and later another 240-run partnership for the fifth wicket between Shakeel and Mohammad Rizwan helped them to declare on 448/6 in their first innings.
The visiting side showed great character with the bat in hand, as they scored runs consistently, thanks to getting huge partnerships. Their opening batter Shadman Islam played a vital knock of 93 runs, while Litton Das cracked a memorable 56-run innings. The veteran wicket-keeper batter and the former captain, Mushfiqur Rahim, missed out on his double century by just nine runs.
The fast bowlers hardly got any assistance from the surface, and the heat tired the bodies, which would make it hard for the players to recover sharply in a short turnaround for the second Test.
Azhar Mahmood was surprised to see the behavior of the surface as they expected some help from the pacers.
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“The reason we didn’t play a spinner was there was grass on the pitch and we thought it would favor the seamers. We were hoping for that. But the three hours the pitch was sunned before the game started on the first day may have made a difference.” The Rawalpindi-born remarked in the presser. “The wicket dried out; we didn’t think it would dry out so quickly, and that made it play differently.”
“Anyone who looked at the wicket would have thought it would be a seaming track. We can’t do anything about the fact it didn’t behave that way. We didn’t make a mistake reading the pitch, it just didn’t play like we thought it should.” Azhar Mahmood shared his thoughts.
The second Test will start on August 30 on the same ground.