Azhar Ali Bisects Pakistan’s Bowling During First Test Against Australia

Former Pakistan captain Azhar Ali has identified the team’s ongoing challenges in Australia, attributing them primarily to the bowling performance.

In an exclusive interview on a sports show, Azhar Ali emphasized that the root cause of Pakistan’s drought in Australia is not the batting, but the inability to bowl out Australia twice in a match.

Azhar said, “There were matches, where batters had scored good runs but our bowlers were unable to bowl Australia out in those matches, it has been so long that Pakistani bowlers had bowled Australia out twice in a match, and this is where the problem is.”

Only twice have Pakistani bowlers managed to claim 20 wickets against Australia in Australia: once in 1995 and again in 2010.

He added, “People would say that Pakistan was bowled out for 89 in Perth but I think by the time Pakistan’s inning started, the wicket had become very difficult with an uneven bounce, and knowing Australia’s attack, I think that collapse was not unexpected.”

Azhar Ali conveyed his belief that Pakistan has the potential to stage a comeback in the series; however, he emphasized that the bowlers must shoulder a greater share of responsibility for this to materialize.

The former captain expressed confidence in the Pakistani batters’ ability to post scores of around 450 to 475. However, he also emphasized the importance for Pakistan that the bowlers can effectively limit Australia to a manageable total, ensuring that it doesn’t escalate to a larger score.

Azhar Ali also expressed the view that Pakistan would have been better served by including an additional specialist bowler instead of opting for the combination of two all-rounders, Faheem Ashraf and Salman Agha.

He recently retired from international cricket after playing his last Test match against England in Karachi last year. Throughout his career, he played 97 Tests for Pakistan and scored 7,142 runs at an average of 42.26.

Furthermore, he achieved notable milestones with 3 double centuries and 19 hundreds, showcasing his ability to deliver match-winning performances.

Azhar Ali previously notched his 49th first-class century during the President Trophy match for SNGPL against Ghani Glass.

When discussing his cricket performance, Azhar mentioned that he hasn’t had much practice but expressed contentment with scoring the century. Despite this achievement, he is now determined to reach the milestone of a 50th century in first-class cricket. It’s worth noting that Azhar has no intentions of coming out of retirement.