Pakistan vs Australia: Sarfraz Ahmed admits of being relieved after a gritty 94-run knock

Pakistan skipper Sarfraz Ahmed was pleased to respond to criticism he faced with a gritty knock of 94 against Australia in the second Test at Abu Dhabi. On Day 1, Pakistan were reeling at 57 for 5 after veteran off-spinner Nathan Lyon picked up four prized wickets in the span of 6 deliveries. Sarfraz then began a rescue effort, adding 147 runs for the sixth wicket with debutant Fakhar Zaman — who also scored 94 — to carry Pakistan to a respectable 282.

The 31-year-old was criticized for his failure with the bat – he only managed to score 15 in the first Test in Dubai – and also for his lapses in wicketkeeping and captaincy. Pakistan had the inexperienced Australians on the ropes after they were set a target of 462. But victory eluded them, following which many called for Sarfraz to be sacked from captaincy. Prior to the Abu Dhabi knock, the wicketkeeper-batsman had made just 74 runs in six previous appearances.

Pressure from all corners

“Yeah the pressure was there, definitely,” said Sarfraz after the end of day’s play. “A lot of it. You know it’s coming from all corners. Somebody is saying leave Test cricket, somebody is saying leave captaincy, some are saying leave him out of the team.”

“When all this happens and you score runs then it’s a bit of relief and then to do it in a situation where you were 57-5 and in a really bad shape…” he added.

Sarfraz also lauded his side for a remarkable comeback. They were not only able to post a fighting first innings total, but also managed to snaffle two key Australian wickets before Stumps on Day 1.

“It’s good that we scored 282 and then got two wickets, including that of Usman Khawaja because he can play a long innings, so I think it has become even for both the teams now. Fakhar played a brilliant knock and I got very good confidence from him because I like that the other batsmen rotate the strike and he did that and played brilliantly in his first match. He deserved credit for doing so well,” Sarfraz further said.

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