Pakistan urged to be more consistent
Cricket - Test - England v Pakistan - Multan Cricket Stadium, Pakistan October 6, 2024. Pakistan's Captain Shan Masood addresses a press conference following the practice session. REUTERS/Akhtar Soomro
Pakistan captain Shan Masood wants his team to seize the momentum and show more consistency after they beat South Africa on Wednesday in the first of their two-test series.
Pakistan wrapped up a 93-run win over South Africa on the fourth day, making the most of the pitch conditions to ensure victory.
But it follows 12 months of indifferent test results for Pakistan, who came from behind to beat England 2-1 in a home series this time last year, then lost 2-0 in South Africa before a 1-1 home draw with the West Indies.
“We are playing good cricket against quality opposition but at the same time, the challenge is that we need to consistently perform and win matches against top teams,” he told a press conference.
“There were a lot of challenges out in the middle. Credit to South Africa, they kept coming back, but we built enough margins to have the upper hand, and I’m glad we finished it off,” he added.
Pakistan will now be looking to complete a 2-0 series win and make a positive start to a new cycle of the World Test Championship, which South Africa won in June.
The second test starts in Rawalpindi on Monday.
“The spinners came into play, reverse swing helped the bowlers do their job today, and the batters did well enough, but we still have a lot of challenges in the middle order,” said Shan.
“We lost 11 wickets for 37 runs over the course of two innings, which is not good. We must overcome that,” he said of dramatic collapses in both innings when Pakistan were well set.
In their first innings of 378, they lost their last five wickets for 16 runs, while in the second innings, they lost their last six wickets for a paltry 17 runs and were dismissed for 167.
It drew the ire of coach Azhar Mahmood. “Our shot selection was not good,” he told reporters.
“This is something we need to improve. If we're going to play on these pitches, we have to have the patience to bat on them."
The pitch took a sharp turn and offered low bounce, especially from day two onward, and conditions in Rawalpindi are expected to be similar.
(Writing by Mark Gleeson in Cape Town; Editing by Christian Radnedge)
