Pakistan team manager Mohammad Hafeez has expressed his support for veteran wicketkeeper-batsman Sarfaraz Ahmed after his disappointing performance in the first Test in Australia. Mohammad Hafeez stressed the importance of refraining from making judgments based on a single party.

Sarfaraz Ahmed returned with two single-digit scores during Pakistan’s 360-run defeat against Australia in Perth. The wicketkeeper-batsman recorded scores of three and four in his two innings. He also missed a great chance to David Warner in Australia’s first innings.

Sarfaraz was dismissed on both occasions against Australian pacer Mitchell Starc. In the first innings, the 36-year-old was bowled through the gap between bat and pad. In the second, he came out with an outside lead, providing an easy catch to Mitchell Marsh in the gully.

Sarfaraz Ahmed has given many performances – Mohammad Hafeez

In the post-match press conference, Mohammad Hafeez acknowledged Sarfaraz Ahmed’s disappointing performance in the past. Hafeez highlighted Sarfaraz’s experience in challenging cricket nations such as England and Australia.

“Sarfaraz has given many performances for Pakistan. In New Zealand’s series in Pakistan, he was excellent. Yes, it’s been five to six months, but you prioritize your best performers from recent series. Unfortunately, this match did not go well for Sarfaraz as per our expectations. However, we cannot start thinking about something totally different after a match,” Hafeez said.

“Sarfaraz is not new: he has already toured Australia, South Africa and England. He is not new to these conditions and we can say that he will have a hard time adapting. Yes, he did not live up to expectations as a batsman and wicketkeeper. But this does not mean that we should start doubting someone’s ability and say that he can only play in certain conditions,” he added.

Pakistan suffered a collapse and were bowled out for 89 runs in the second innings while chasing 450. Pakistan lost the match by a substantial margin of 360 runs in four days. Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood each claimed three wickets, while Nathan Lyon contributed two.

We could not execute our plans – Mohammad Hafeez

Mohammad Hafeez emphasized that the tactical mistakes of the Shan Masood-led team played a role in their defeat in the initial Test. Hafeez expressed his disappointment over the team’s inability to execute his plans in the first match.

“We couldn’t execute our skills. We made plans for the team but unfortunately, as a team, we could not execute our plans. The guys wanted to do it, but they never put in the effort, to be honest,” Hafeez said.

“As a team we made a couple of tactical mistakes. There were certain situations where we could have dominated. “We were prepared but our execution was not excellent.”

The next Boxing Day Test is scheduled to be played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, starting on Tuesday, December 26. Sarfaraz Ahmed is likely to be chosen as the wicketkeeper over Mohammad Rizwan in a crucial must-win match in the series.

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