Request Pakistan batsmen to play aggressive cricket in order to beat England: Inzamam-ul-Haq
Pakistan were reduced to 126 for 5 on Day 1 by England but they fought back through Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam to reach 223 for 9 at the end of play on Day 2 of the 2nd Test in Southampton.
In Short
- Inzamam-ul-Haq said if Pakistan don't play aggressively then they will be "depending on rain to save this Test"
- Pakistan managed to reach 223 for 9 after 2 rain-truncated days in the 2nd Test
- Mohammad Rizwan (60*), Abid Ali (60) and Babar Azam (47) have been the major contributors to the PAK score
Former captain and current chief selector Inzamam-ul-Haq has urged Pakistani batsmen to play aggressive cricket and not be afraid to execute their shots in the ongoing second Test against England in Southampton.
Pakistan were reduced to 126 for 5 on Day 1 but they fought back through Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam to reach 223 for 9 at the end of play on Day 2. Rizwan will resume his knock on 60 on Saturday along with Naseem Shah (1 not out).
Opener Abid Ali and star player Babar Azam have been the other two batsmen who managed to make a significant contribution to the the team score while the rest all failed with six batters getting out in single digits.
And Inzamam feels their defensive approach against the likes of James Anderson, Stuart Broad, Chris Woakes and Sam Curran has been their downfall in the match so far.
“Pakistan batsmen were scared of playing their shots. If you look at most of their dismissals, their bat was behind their leg. When you meet the ball, your bat should be ahead of your leg. You are getting caught at slips because you are employing a defensive approach,” Inzamam said on his YouTube channel.
Weather has played a big part in the match so far with both days getting truncated due to the repeated rain interruptions and light issues at the Ageas Bowl. Inzamam feels if the Pakistani batsmen don't pull up their socks then they will have to depend on the rain to save the match.
“I request the batsmen and team management to play aggressive cricket, in order to beat England. Otherwise, we will be depending on rain to save us in this Test,” he added.
With Pakistan's first innings stretching into a third day and more rain forecast, a draw is already beginning to look the most likely result. England lead 1-0 in the three-match series.