CAPE TOWN: All-rounder Salman Ali Agha has stated that although the Pakistani squad is disappointed over losing the first Test match despite driving South Africa to the verge of defeat in Centurion, team spirit is still high.
On a difficult track at Centenarion Park, Pakistan had reduced the Proteas, who were chasing 148, to 99-8 before fast bowler Kagiso Rabada and all-rounder Marco Jansen led the hosts to victory.
With the victory, South Africa guaranteed their spot in this summer’s Lord’s World Test Championship final.
Fighting until the very end to win the opening match was a positive indication for Pakistan, who have lost seven of their nine games in the current WTC cycle.
The Shan Masood-led team, however, is confident after defeating the hosts 3-0 in the previous One-day International series and is aiming for nothing less than a victory in the second Test here at Newlands, which begins on Friday.
During a media appearance on Wednesday, Salman remarked of the first match, “It was a great game; it could go anywhere.”
Rabada and Jansen, in my opinion, performed admirably. We had a couple opportunities to put them away during the game, but we were unable to take advantage of them. However, we’ve learned from our errors and will try to improve.
Given that we also won the ODI series, we are really certain that we will defeat them in the upcoming match. The second test should be a cracker, I hope.
In contrast to what Newlands is supposed to be, Centurion was a different ball game. Because of the amount of grass on the playing area, it turned out to be a haven for seamen.
The shortest Test in history with a winner was the one against India 12 months ago at Newlands, which lasted just 107 overs and saw the visitors win by seven wickets in two days.
They have lost two of their last three Test matches in Cape Town, but the wicket should be better this time around at a stadium that was once a stronghold for the home team.
Salman noted that, in contrast to what occurred in Centurion, the pitch at the location would undoubtedly be less green and spinners would be crucial.
The off-spinner remarked, “There’s less grass here; it looks like a different pitch from Centurion.” However, by tomorrow, we’ll have a better notion and be able to predict how we’ll approach the Test match.
The statistics show that the spinners are useful in this situation. However, we still haven’t made a decision.
Since I haven’t bowled in the previous three Test matches, I thought I would probably bowl in this game when I saw the wicket. In this Test match, I believe my contribution will be crucial.
Salman was full of praise for Pakistan’s pacer, Mohammad Abbas, who returned to Test action after three years. Abbas bowled a long spell in the first Test to pull Pakistan back into the match by ending a strong partnership between Aiden Markram and South African captain Temba Bavuma. He then went on to record figures of 6-54.
Salman remarked, “He is very accurate, he knows what he is doing, he knows about his bowling.” “No other bowler I’ve seen is as knowledgeable about his craft as he is.
“You can expect that from a man joining the squad after three years, but he was a little rusty in the opening innings with the new ball.
He made an incredible comeback in the second inning. He was probably the one that restarted the game for us. I assumed the match would be one-sided given the way Markram and Bavuma were playing, but his return and bowling for an entire session was simply amazing.
