Pakistan head coach Mohammad Hafeez is highly disappointed with the pitch as it was too slow and the playing conditions were also not that good.
As Pakistan played their warm up match against Prime Minister XI in Canberra. Though the pitch was not up to the mark still a lot of positives were there for the visiting team which was expressed by the team’s head coach.
After the match, Hafeez said, “That was the slowest pitch the visiting team could ever Play on in Australia. As a team we are really happy with our preparations because we take most of the boxes. Everyone knew ( about the pitch), so there was no point of saying it again and again and raising the issue with cricket Australia. That disappointment was really high because we weren’t expecting these kinds of arrangements. Maybe it’s tactical but we are ready for it. We are not excuses, we are absolutely ready for the challenges coming up.”
One of the great positives for the team was their newly appointed Test captain, Shan Masood, who scored a brilliant double century (201 runs not out) in a slow pitch where other batters were struggling to score runs as they hardly crossed 50 runs mark. His brilliant performance made the head coach a huge relief before the series. He said,
“For me, seeing Shan become captain is no surprise. He was always ready for this role, and when you get this sort of opportunity it shines. He is a super player and as a leader, he has got a great rapport with the players and a great relationship with the whole team. His experience as a captain and what he has learned over the years. Especially the couple of years he has played County cricket have all seen his management skills have come to the fore even more. What’s important is this confident unit that here and Shan is playing his role very well.”
The excitement level that the team possess for playing in the Australian conditions and to register a great victory, Hafeez added,
“This team is ready to settle. They have all done a great job for Pakistan cricket. Everyone is excited to take the challenge. performing in Australia would be great for them. We are here to beat Australia, not just to compete. As a team we believe we have great talent within the team who can win in Australia. The guys are really hungry to perform in Australia. They wanted to take that excitement and challenge in the right spirit. The message the team conveyed is that they want to be Australia this time.”