KARACHI: Pakistan captain Azhar Ali had no reason to worry after celebrating his first victory as Test captain here on Monday while his Sri Lankan counterpart Dimuth Karunaratne rued the missed opportunities which cost the tourists dearly in the landmark series that concluded with the hosts clinching a 1-0 triumph here on Monday.

“Definitely this is a historic day for Pakistan cricket and a great moment of pure joy for all of us that we won the series. This result was very significant in every way because we were playing at home after such a long time,” an elated Azhar told the post-series media conference at the National Stadium. “Obviously, we all are very happy and we not just performed as a team but also individually whenever it was required the guys stepped up. After what happened in Rawalpindi with rain and bad light combining to ruin a landmark Test, we were under lot of pressure for major part of the first two days here in Karachi.

“I mean being bowled for 191 and then falling behind on the first innings was depressing for us. But the way our bowlers kept us in the game showed the fighting skills of this inexperienced team. Hats off to Abid [Ali] and Shan [Masood] for digging Pakistan out of trouble during their brilliant [opening] partnership was something to be very proud of. They were simply outstanding and the special performances from not only lifted our spirits but gave us self-belief, seldom seen in recent Test matches,” Azhar added.

Karunaratne blames bowlers for defeat

Azhar singled out Abid for special praise after the 32-year-old from Lahore scored centuries in at the start of his Test career. “Abid was a huge plus and there’s no doubt in my mind that he is here to serve Pakistan for a while. To get the chance at long last and performed exceptionally is a testimony of Abid’s mental toughness and temperament,” the Pakistan skipper remarked. “Abid was itching to prove that he is a special player. His hunger [for runs] was insatiable and he was very keen and determined to show everyone he’s not an ordinary batsman. Shan also grabbed his chance here with a much-needed knock.

“I would be lying if I don’t say that Abid and Shan inspired me to regain my form in the second innings with that tremendous stand. And when the openers give the side a start like that, it gives room to perform.

“As a senior batsman there are occasions when nothing goes right. You never understand why runs have dried up from your bat and you do the same old stuff and routines but sometime it never comes off. It is not easy to go through such a rough patch and even one is settled in but yet got out.

“But all you do is to keep trying and keep things simple. Here I was trying to be positive as much as possible. At the end of the day I am a really relieved man after scoring the century I badly wanted.”

Commenting on the bowling unit, Azhar lauded his young pace bowlers Nasim Shah and Shaheen Shah Afridi, while expressed high hopes for Yasir Shah to overcome his lean patch with the ball.

“Yasir is a world-class performer who sadly is going through a bad patch. It can happen to anyone during the long career. It doesn’t mean that because of few poor performances, he’s is a bad bowler,” he emphasized. “Yasir is a proven match-winner and had major contributions in the games we won in recent years. His current form isn’t up there but I hope the moment he start taking wickets, he will back on the track.

“I’m delighted to see the way Nasim and Shaheen are developing into lethal bowlers. Even Musa Khan has the talent to join them. Both Nasim and Musa were picked up on the basis of their potential. Obviously they all are lacking in experience,” Azhar went on. “There are other bowlers in our first-class cricket who are also doing well but we chose Nasim and Musa and are backing them. Shaheen has been a big improvement for Pakistan and is getting to a stage where the opposition would fear him taking on. Nasim, however, needs to be nurtured closely because he’s very young and still raw at the international level.”

The crestfallen Karunaratne, meanwhile, squarely blamed the bowlers for releasing the pressure after Sri Lanka took a lead of 80. “On the first two days we worked hard at our bowling unit. But somehow, we lost our patience thereafter and were trying too many things. That to me was the turning point of the Karachi Test and the difference between winning and losing.”

The visiting captain sent out a strong message to the cricketing world that Pakistan is now a safe country to tour and play.

“The security blanket in Pakistan was 200% tight and really good. They [the security personnel] were like fathers for us and were right behind us everywhere we went, whether to eat or shopping, these people were always present,” Karunaratne remarked. “We felt very secured and safe here. I must add here the Pakistani fans are really good, and they too supported us.

“Now I can openly say that Pakistan is really safe to visit and we’re glad we came here. What I can say more except that the other Test-playing nations should come and play Tests, T20s or one-dayers because it’s safe to play in Pakistan.”

Published in Dawn, December 24th, 2019