Pakistan cricket team’s interim head coach Azhar Mahmood has expressed firm confidence in his side’s ability to defend their target and fight back in the ongoing Lahore Test against South Africa, saying the team will “defend the target and go for victory.”
Addressing a press conference after the third day’s play, Azhar Mahmood admitted that Pakistan’s batting collapse in the second innings created unnecessary pressure.
“We have put ourselves in this situation,” he said. “In the second innings, we lost wickets in quick succession, five wickets fell for just 17 runs, and our shot selection was not up to the mark.”
The head coach emphasized that the players are aware of their mistakes and discussions are underway to correct them.
“We are talking about improving our shot selection and must find a way to solve this issue,” he added.
Azhar Mahmood pointed out that despite the setbacks, Pakistan managed to build two good partnerships during the match.
He stressed that adapting to local conditions will be crucial for success. “If we are to play on such pitches, our batsmen must learn to settle in and play big innings,” he remarked.
He also revealed that Shaheen Shah Afridi was promoted up the batting order to accelerate the scoring rate, but the plan could not work as wickets continued to fall at the other end.