The Pakistan head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed grieves over the batting line-up’s struggle following the second day of the Lord’s Test against England.
He admitted that it was a concern for the visitors, who crashed to 110 in their first innings following totals of 171 and 135 in Leeds, where they suffered a defeat in the first test of Pakistan’s tour of England 2026.
Reflecting on the batting collapse, Sarfaraz Ahmed said, “See, you can’t shy away from the fact that our team is getting bowled out in 30 or 35 overs.”
“Obviously, we have discussed this, and the batters also have an idea about the fact that we are not spending enough time on the pitch.”
“Yes, conditions are definitely challenging for the batters, but whichever batter spends more time in the middle and plays 30 to 40 balls will benefit. The first 30-40 balls are difficult, but if we can get past that, we will be in a better position,” he added.
“Azan also handled the pressure well initially and then played some very good shots later,” Sarfaraz said. “So I think the first hour, the first 40 or 50 balls, you need to play with good technique.”
Despite accepting Pakistan’s batting unit was ‘not up to the mark ‘, Sarfaraz praised the 21-year-old Awais for the manner in which he tackled a feisty Jofra Archer spell early on.
“I think hats off to Azan Awais. The way that boy handled that spell (from Archer), I think it’s very good for him and his career. He batted at a crucial time and faced quality bowling. As a batter, it will be a big boost for him,” said Sarfaraz Ahmed.
Sarfaraz also added that Pakistan have looked to tailor their playing combination in accordance with their batting woes, although it hasn’t reflected in terms of returns.
“If you talk about this Test match and the first Test, we could not bat well. We bowled a lot better in this match, but there is definitely a concern over our batting. Because of this, we try to play a combination such that our batting is strong. But unfortunately, even in this innings we could not bat well,” he added.
He also said that the lack of red-ball cricket over the last year, at a time when Pakistan played more T20 cricket for the Asia Cup and ICC‘s World Cup.
“It is a big factor. Last year, we played nearly 40 or 50 T20 games. But I won’t say that is the reason – as professional players, we need to adjust (between formats).”
