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BCB chief Nazmul Hassan has said Bangladesh will only tour Pakistan if the security situation in the country improves

Mohammad Isam31-Dec-2012Bangladesh will only tour Pakistan if the security situation in the country improves, BCB chief Nazmul Hassan has said. Hassan, who addressed a press conference in Dhaka on Monday, was noncommittal on the issue, not saying ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to the proposed tour, but made it clear in various ways that the January visit is ruled out for the moment.”The ICC minutes have it that we have made an unconditional commitment to tour Pakistan. But there is concern among us about the country’s security situation, it has deteriorated. We don’t think it will be wise to visit Pakistan at this time,” Hassan said. “We have sent them [the PCB] a letter three days ago, telling them of our stance. We will again contact them when their security situation improves. And we will go in the future, because we are committed to go there.”Two months ago, Hassan had said that the BCB – without mentioning who in particular – had committed to tour Pakistan in an ICC meeting. But concerns remained in Bangladesh, and it was learnt that the players wanted full-proof security guarantees from all parties before heading to play the series.However, the PCB has begun its preparations for an impending tour. It has already placed a tender in one of Pakistan’s top newspapers, inviting sponsorship bids for a series title sponsor, two co-sponsors and in-stadia advertising rights for two international matches (one ODI and one T20). The PCB has also moved the domestic first-class Quaid-e-Azam matches, scheduled between January 7 and 22 away from the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore to accommodate the proposed matches against Bangladesh.Hassan’s comments came at an “exchange of views” programme on Monday, which the BCB had arranged to discuss some of the issues in Bangladesh cricket with the media. Hassan said the BCB was aware that putting the tour on hold could sour relations with the PCB. “It isn’t an easy decision for us. If we say we want to go, many people in the country will be hurt. If we don’t go, there will be repercussions,” he said. “We know the consequences, they may not want to send their players to the Bangladesh Premier League and our Dhaka leagues. They will probably not want to help us or support us.”The PCB had used the upcoming BPL as a bargaining chip ahead of the T20 league’s player auction on December 20: the Pakistan board had not handed out No-Objection Certificates to their players to play in the tournament, the understanding being they were waiting for an official announcement from the BCB, confirming that the proposed tour would go ahead.Several Pakistan players were however bought at the auction. The prominent ones among them included Umar Gul, Kamran Akmal, Abdul Razzaq, Mohammad Sami, Shahid Afridi, Shoaib Malik, Umar Akmal, Imran Nazir and Wahab Riaz, whose participation in the tournament is now unclear.The PCB and BCB have for some time now been discussing a short tour of Pakistan that would mark the return of top-flight international cricket to the country for the first time since the March 2009 attack on the Sri Lanka team bus in Lahore. A window had been created by the PCB to accommodate an ODI and T20 between January 10 and 15 ahead of the BPL, which starts from January 17. That window will now be missed.The BCB have a ‘written commitment’ to tour Pakistan and, earlier this month, Hassan had said that they were in the second phase of talks with the PCB about going ahead with the tour, as the first phase that dealt with security issues had been completed satisfactory.However, on December 22, Hassan said the tour was still unconfirmed, as the BCB was awaiting a security assessment to be conducted by the ICC.Bangladesh was all set to tour Pakistan in April 2012 after a deal had been cut between the two boards, by which the PCB would back the BCB president Mustafa Kamal as the nominee for the ICC vice-presidency and Bangladesh would tour Pakistan in 2012. However, the tour was postponed after a Dhaka court order embargoed the series. At the time, the ICC had introduced a special dispensation by which bilateral series can take place even if the ruling body determined it unsafe to appoint its officials for the series. As per the dispensation, such series could be manned by “non-neutral match officials”.

Pakistan Under-19 inflicted a sixth straight defeat on Zimbabwe Under-19 at the Stellenbosch University Ground

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Jan-2012
Scorecard
Pakistan Under-19 inflicted a sixth straight defeat on Zimbabwe Under-19 at the Stellenbosch University Ground. Zimbabwe, after choosing to bat, appeared to be in a comfortable situation at 73 for 1 in the 19th over. Luke Masasire (65) and Kevin Kasuza were involved in a 59-run second-wicket stand but things fell apart after the pair was separated. In a collapse, Zimbabwe lost 9 wickets for 65 runs and were bowled out for 138 in 40.5 overs. Seamer Zia-ul-Haq grabbed three wickets and was supported by Usman Qadir and Mohammad Nawaz, who took two each. Opener Faraz Ali top-scored with 68 in the chase and Pakistan sealed victory with 22 overs to spare and seven wickets in hand.

Once the players woke up to sunny skies in Centurion, it was only a matter of time before South Africa took the final two wickets that stood between them and a 1-0 lead in the series

The Bulletin by George Binoy20-Dec-2010
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

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• This was South Africa’s first innings win against India at home and fourth overall against them. Four of India’s seven innings defeats since 1990 have come against South Africa.

• This is only the second time that South Africa have won the first Test of a home series against a major Test side since beating New Zealand in 2007.

• India’s total of 459 is the seventh highest third innings score in defeats.

• The victory improves South Africa’s win-loss ratio in Centurion to 12, the best among all home grounds to have hosted at least five Tests. Their only loss at Centurion was a two-wicket defeat against England in 2000.

• This was the fifth occasion that South Africa won by an innings after losing less than five wickets in the entire match.

Once the players woke up to clear skies in Centurion, it was only a matter of time before South Africa took the final two wickets that stood between them and a 1-0 lead in the series. The other question was whether they could inflict an innings defeat on India, something they had never done at home. They did, dismissing the tailenders in less than six overs on the fifth day, while Sachin Tendulkar remained unbeaten on 111.The length of South Africa’s wait was going to be determined by Tendulkar’s approach, and once he showed no intention of farming the strike, exposing Sreesanth and Jaidev Unadkat by taking singles, the home team knew Morne Morkel and Dale Steyn wouldn’t make them field for too long.Sreesanth prodded forward to a short of a length delivery outside off from Morkel, and AB de Villiers caught the thick edge comfortably at second slip. Unadkat faced 10 out of the 14 balls following Sreesanth’s dismissal and the Test ended when he fended a short ball from Steyn to gully.

New Zealand Cricket has scheduled a meeting on Friday to discuss appointing a successor to Andy Moles, who resigned as national coach last October

Cricinfo staff29-Jan-2010New Zealand Cricket are expected shortly to name a coach as successor to Andy Moles, who resigned last October, with the board scheduled to discuss the issue at a meeting on Friday. Those in contention include Darren Lehmann, who confirmed he’d been in talks with NZC, Mark Greatbatch and Jeff Crowe. However, Adam Gilchrist denied developments regarding Lehmann, the coach of IPL franchise Deccan Chargers, during his commentary stint in the fourth ODI between Pakistan and Australia.”It will be discussed at today’s board meeting and I am confident an appointment will be made before the start of the Bangladesh series on Wednesday,” NZC chief executive Justin Vaughan told .New Zealand have not appointed any interim coach since Moles stepped down, increasing captain Daniel Vettori’s responsibilities during the series against Pakistan late last year. Moles was in the job for less than a year, raising questions over whether NZC had erred during their recruitment process when appointing him as John Bracewell’s successor.Vaughan said NZC wanted to be sure the right candidate was picked this time, leading to a lengthy spell without a national coach. “Looking at some examples from international cricket in recent times, some coaching appointments have not gone well, and we had that experience as well with the departure of Andy Moles last year,” he said. “I think there’s been a real need to reflect on that and make sure we get this appointment right.”Lehmann, the former Australian batsman who guided the Deccan Chargers to the IPL title last season, has confirmed he is in talks with NZC for the role.

Former captain makes 94 but ends up on the losing side at Northwood

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay09-Jul-2025Former Middlesex all-rounder James Fuller returned to haunt his old team with a crucial unbeaten 43 from 26 balls as Hampshire squeezed over the line at Merchant Taylors’ School to keep their Vitality Blast hopes alive.The Hawks were under pressure at 157 for seven, needing 31 from 13, when the final ball of Noah Cornwell’s stint sailed over Fuller for four byes plus a no-ball – and momentum swung as the batter capitalised on the resulting free hit to crack six off Leus du Plooy.Stephen Eskinazi, who stood down as Middlesex’s T20 captain earlier in the day, led the way for his side with an outstanding knock of 94 from 48, sharing partnerships of 69 from 40 and 82 from 51 with Kane Williamson and Max Holden respectively.But Hawks seamer Scott Currie (four for 32) removed both Eskinazi and Holden, triggering a middle-order collapse as Middlesex shed seven wickets for 34 and fell below the 200-plus total that had looked likely.Put in to bat, the home side made swift progress in the powerplay as Williamson (25 from 22) flicked Sonny Baker neatly over long leg for six and Eskinazi plundered 20 from Eddie Jack’s first over.Benny Howell made the breakthrough with his fourth delivery as Williamson was bowled swinging across the line, but runs continued to flow from Eskinazi’s bat and the opener raised his third half-century of the tournament from 23 balls with a straight-driven six.Holden (33 from 26) played second fiddle, taking 18 balls to register his first boundary, but Eskinazi’s timing and placement was exemplary as he cut Currie for successive fours, with a hundred looking inevitable.However, Eskinazi was denied when Currie returned to rip out his off stump – the first of five wickets in 17 balls as Middlesex faltered during the death overs, clambering above 180 thanks to a couple of late boundaries from Luke Hollman.James Vince (27 from 17) began briskly when Hampshire replied, pulling Zafar Gohar for six and punching a string of back-foot boundaries off the seamers before he fell to a low diving catch at mid-off by opposite number Du Plooy.The new Middlesex skipper took a skier to dismiss Tom Prest in the next over and, when Toby Albert presented Hollman (two for 21) with a routine return catch, the visitors were uncertainly placed at 68 for three.Joe Weatherley batted aggressively, clubbing both Gohar and Ryan Higgins for straight sixes in his 41 from 22 but, when he failed to counter Hollman’s googly, the Hawks were back under pressure.Cornwell and Higgins picked up further wickets, but the left-armer’s lapse tilted the contest back towards Hampshire and Fuller finished the job with two balls to spare, hitting Higgins for successive boundaries.

The two, along with former head coach Grant Bradburn, were given roles at the National Cricket Academy after the 2023 ODI World Cup

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Jan-2024After Grant Bradburn ended his tenure with the PCB, Mickey Arthur and Andrew Puttick have also resigned from their respective posts at the National Cricket Academy in Lahore. All three were given a new portfolio after the 2023 ODI World Cup.Arthur had joined as director of the Pakistan men’s team in April 2023, while Bradburn and Puttick were appointed head coach and batting coach respectively.”All three individuals informed the Pakistan Cricket Board of their decision to leave their respective jobs by the end of January 2024,” the PCB said in a release. “The decision was taken amicably between all the stakeholders.”Arthur will continue in his role as Derbyshire’s head coach, a job he juggled with his duties with the Pakistan team. Last week, Bradburn signed a three-year deal as Glamorgan’s head coach and Puttick as Afghanistan’s batting coach.After Pakistan failed to reach the semi-finals of the 2023 World Cup, all three were in limbo as the PCB’s temporary management committee lacked the authority to relieve them from their duties. They have had their roles reassigned and none of them travelled with the team for their recent Test tour of Australia, with Mohammad Hafeez acting as both team director and head coach, and Adam Hollioake as batting coach. Pakistan lost all three Tests there.Currently, the team is in New Zealand for a five-match T20I series and is trailing by 3-0.

Despite a 24-ball 40 from Sikandar Raza, Zimbabwe were bowled out for 117 and Netherlands aced the chase in 18 overs

S Sudarshanan02-Nov-2022Firsts are often memorable occasions and Netherlands ensured that they would only have fond memories of their maiden T20I at the Adelaide Oval. Their batting mainstay Max O’Dowd exuded calmness to help them through a small run-chase against Zimbabwe with a steady 52-run knock to all but end their hopes of making the semi-finals. This was after a fine seam-bowling performance from Netherlands – led by Paul van Meekeren’s three-for – helped skittle Zimbabwe for 117.Only Sikandar Raza stood tall yet again for Zimbabwe as their batters failed to counter accurate fast bowling and fell prey to clever changes of pace that they bowled. In response, O’Dowd and Tom Cooper stitched together a 73-run partnership which ensured Netherlands did not lose early wickets in clusters.While Zimbabwe mathematically still cling on, any result in the India-Bangladesh contest will knock them out.Seam, swing and all that
The two colours that generally make for good viewing were on display at the Adelaide Oval – blue, sunny skies after a rainy build-up and an even covering of green grass on the surface. But Zimbabwe captain Craig Ervine had little hesitation in batting first even as his opposite number seemed content with what they had to do. You could see why.A left-arm bowler swung it into the right-hander (away from the left-hander). Then a right-arm seamer did the opposite. After Fred Klaassen came perilously close to nicking Ervine off in the opening over, van Meekeren drew first blood in the next. He began with a misdirected inswinger to the left-handed Ervine before castling Madhevere with a peach. Madhevere was rooted to the crease expecting an outswinger but instead received a full and straight ball on middle, which he missed a belated flick off to be bowled.It was then time for Brandon Glover to come to party. He began with five straight dots, which led to Ervine top-edge an attempted flick with Scott Edwards completing a well-judged catch. In his next over, Glover saw Regis Chakabva survive two chances – one when Bas de Leede failed to cling on to a cut at backward point and then on the very next ball when Edwards grassed a regulation diving catch.But, much like Madhevere, Chakabva lost the mind game against Glover as he was stuck to his crease expecting another one outside off, only to be trapped in front by a full and straight one in line of the stumps. Zimbabwe were reduced to 20 for 3 inside the powerplay, as a result.Sikandar Raza top-scored with a 24-ball 40 for Zimbabwe•ICC via Getty Images

Raza, again
It was yet again up to Raza to rescue Zimbabwe, for the umpteenth time in recent games. He was starved of strike for two overs upon his entry before he got going of a 14-run over off Glover. He targeted the short, square region on the leg side to pepper his pull strokes and used his might to smoke generally un-hittable length balls over the bowler’s head. He found an ally in Sean Williams, who played a steady hand in their 48-run partnership.Even after Williams fell, Raza did not slow down. He smoked two more sixes – the second off Glover (again) made a sound you’d want to use for one of your phone alerts. In all, Raza scored 26 off the 11 balls he faced from Glover, after the bowler had two wickets – including a wicket-maiden – and had conceded just two runs from his first two overs.But once Raza fell trying to take on the longer long-on boundary off Bas de Leede – back after he was replaced in the match against Pakistan due to concussion – Zimbabwe lost their last five wickets for 25 to fold for 117.O’Dowd denies Zimbabwe
O’Dowd enhanced his batting credentials in this men’s T20 World Cup with his second half-century in the competition. It was not all smooth-flowing for him though. Even though he managed to hit a four in each of Tendai Chatara’s three overs in the powerplay, he could only score 14 off the 18 balls he faced in the phase. He was regularly beaten on the outside edge, courtesy Chatara’s outswingers, and it was almost like the phase was being played on repeat.It was only when he picked up a Richard Ngarava slower delivery early after the powerplay and then followed it with a gorgeous inside-out six over extra cover off Sean Williams that he had truly announced himself. By that time, Cooper, who perhaps knows the Adelaide Oval conditions like the back of his hand thanks to his stints in Australian domestic circuit, had got into a roll and his alliance with O’Dowd had all but sealed the deal for Netherlands.Even though Zimbabwe managed to pick up four wickets for 26 with Cooper’s fall, a total of just 117 was never really going to be enough.

Captain puts focus on enjoyment amid extraordinary circumstances of early England recall

George Dobell07-Jul-2021You didn’t think Ben Stokes would turn England down in their hour of need, did you?He is not, by any means, at full fitness. And he does not, by any means, have a full strength squad at his disposal. But when the cry for help came through, late on Monday night, he was happy to answer it. Not for the first time, Stokes was the man England turned to in a crisis.”I had to stand up,” Stokes said matter-of-factly from England’s team hotel in Cardiff. “It was like when I came back for Durham a bit earlier [than had been planned]: my job needed me to do something, so I had to stand up.”It’s the same with this. It’s earlier than planned from a medical and fitness point of view. But when a job comes and calls you, you need to stand up and make yourself available.”Stokes is, in many ways, the perfect temporary leader. He is an automatic pick, he has natural authority, he is calm under pressure and, as a man with no obvious captaincy ambitions, he will be very happy to pass the responsibility back in a week or two. It’s his second experience of England captaincy after he deputised for Joe Root, who was on paternity leave, for the first Test of last year’s series against West Indies. As he put it: “I’ve captained because Joe was having a baby and I’m captain now because of a Covid outbreak. So it’s a strange situation. But it’s a huge honour and I’m looking forward to it.”Ben Stokes hatches a plan in the field•Getty Images

It might be wise, though, not to expect too much from Stokes as a player. On the evidence of his recent outings with Durham, he is some distance from his best with the bat or the ball. Until the weekend, there was every chance the England management were going to leave him out of both this ODI series and the T20 series which follows to allow him time to build up both his form and fitness ahead of the Test series against India.”After the phone call from Chris Silverwood, my wife sent me a screenshot of an article saying England aren’t going to rush Ben Stokes back,” Stokes continued. “I tried to make light of the situation and sent the same thing to Ashley Giles as well. It’s one of these situations that’s an example of ‘if you don’t laugh, you’ll cry’.”I felt 45 [years old] after bowling in the Championship game,” he added, after taking figures of 3 for 55 against Warwickshire at Edgbaston on Monday. “But there’s no issues in terms of how many overs I have bowled going into a one-day game, so my role won’t change from the last four or five years.”While Stokes, talking ahead of training, was reluctant to confirm any plans, he did hint that Brydon Carse, whom he called “a seriously impressive cricketer”, would play. He also praised John Simpson, who could be preferred to Ben Duckett with the gloves.”He’s got that pace and X-factor that every team wishes they had,” Stokes said of Carse. “He’s known for his bowling but he is a genuinely good batsman as well. I see him in a similar role to Liam Plunkett in the England team.”I have played against Simpson a lot. He’s a very, very talented player and a very good gloveman as well. We know they are heading into an international for the first time but they have got a lot of experience if they get an opportunity to play.”Stokes also clarified he would return to the middle-order after a brief foray into the top three in India in March. He scored 99 in the second ODI of that series; it was one of the five times in his most recent eight ODI innings that he has passed 75.Related

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England could do with such form now. His squad is talented, of course. But nine of them are uncapped and one or two others must have thought their international careers were over. It is asking a huge amount of them to deputise for World Cup winners.Their preparations since the call-ups have been far from ideal, too. Though the results of the squad’s PCR tests came back negative on Wednesday afternoon, thus avoiding throwing the series into even more chaos, the delay meant that training was not able to begin until 3pm. Until then, they were marooned in their rooms and limited to conversations over Zoom. They will have, therefore, just one training session ahead of the game.With that in mind, Stokes’ ambitions for the series sounded unsurprisingly modest. But he is not the sort of cricketer to accept a place among the also-rans. He is, quite clearly, in Cardiff to win. And as one of those characters who gives those around him confidence simply by his presence, England are in as safe hands as they could be in these odd circumstances.”I’m not going to put too much pressure on myself or the guys who will be playing because it is exceptional circumstances,” Stokes said. “We will just get through it. I just want to make sure everyone has a good time.”But I expect us to be very competitive. It doesn’t matter what names are on the back of an England shirt; we are walking out there as the No. 1 [ranked] team. That is an exciting thing to say you are a part of, whether you are an experienced player, a young player or someone coming into the group for the first time. You don’t get picked in an England team without being successful in county cricket.”Situations like these are so rare and such a fluster, I would say you have got a chance to represent your country so let’s do it with a smile on our face and just enjoy it as much as we can as a group.”The guys picked have put their hand up in county cricket and deserve to be in this situation, albeit through extreme circumstances. Everyone warrants their place in the squad.”It’s an amazing opportunity for guys on the fringes. It’s a really exciting time for them as individuals and for the public who follow the team. We’re going to look at it from a positive. We haven’t seen these guys in an England shirt because of how strong we have been.”I’m looking forward to leading out the next exciting cricketers coming through in England, who will no doubt be in an England shirt in the future. It just came quicker than we expected.”

She has been given the go-ahead to play her usual high-risk game by the team management

Andrew McGlashan19-Feb-2020Alyssa Healy will trust her instincts as she looks to put an end to the run of low scores that has brought two years of prolific returns to a juddering halt just before the T20 World Cup.Healy made scores of 9, 1, 0, 1, 4 in the tri-series against England and India – the first time she has made five single-digit scores in a row in T20Is – and followed that with 9 against South Africa in Australia’s final warm-up match before the tournament starts on Friday in Sydney when they face India.The ragged start to her 2020 comes after two outstanding years . In 2018, she averaged 41.28 with a strike rate of 145.95, during which Australia won the previous T20 World Cup, and in 2019, where her average was 53.14 with a strike rate of 173.02, including the world record 148 not out against Sri Lanka.Healy has been given the full backing to continue with a “high risk” style of play by coach Matthew Mott and captain Meg Lanning, who said she would be more worried if her opener started blocking, and Healy is confident the good times will return when it really matters.”My mindset hasn’t changed and the messaging I’m getting from Meg, the coaching staff and selectors is not to change and just go out there and enjoy my cricket,” Healy said as the Australians arrived in Sydney on Wednesday ahead of the tournament opener. “It will come off at some point, and not at others. The last two years have been an unbelievable ride and hopefully I can maintain that.”Honestly, I’ve been hitting the ball fine and haven’t been out there long enough to lose any form. From my point of view, it’s the fickle nature of cricket and especially the T20 format. I like to take the game on and sometimes you will get low scores. Hopefully come Friday I’ll get a little bit of luck, get a score on the board and put the team in a good position.”Her spirit is intact, as she jokes that she isn’t the type who likes to watch her successful innings when the going gets tough. “Personally I hate watching myself bat because all I ever wanted to bat like was Ricky Ponting and it doesn’t look like him one bit,” she said. “I won’t go back and watch any footage, but I will run through mentally what was working for me then and prepare as well as I can.”ESPNcricinfo Ltd

And when Ash Gardner explained that her No. 3 role was largely tactical depending on who got out first but that she has enjoyed her extended run in the position, Healy interjected: “I’m maxmising Ash’s deliveries at the minute, so you’re all welcome.”Still, Healy’s poor run has been part of an Australia batting line-up that hasn’t really clicked in the build-up to the tournament. Beth Mooney has carried them at the top of the order – scoring 208 runs at 52.00 in the tri-series – with Gardner at No. 3 but they have needed a number of lower-order contributions. They stumbled to two defeats in the tri-series (one by a Super Over against England) before digging deep against India to take the final but there isn’t much room for error in the T20 World Cup. A mis-step in the opening match could leave them needing three wins from three matches to progress.”It’s probably great that a lot of the sides are getting hits leading into the tournament,” Healy said. “The beauty of T20 is you only need one batter at a time to potentially win a game and it’s been a different person in each game over the last couple of weeks.”Not that they mind the scrutiny of their form. In fact they are pleased with it. “We remarked on this on the bus on the way over, the amount of interest in how the squad is tracking from a form point of view is almost a bit unprecedented,” Ellyse Perry said. “I’ve been quite vocal about this, about pushing people to take more interest in how the team is playing and be more critical, analyse the game, because that shows they are interested and people care.”I guess it’s Midge’s [Healy’s] turn in the spotlight a little at the moment but she’s been playing some really good cricket in the last 22 months and that just doesn’t flip on its head in a couple of weeks.One advantage for Healy is that she has a second role in the team and her glovework has been sharp over the last few weeks.”Seems to be everyone outside the group is panicking more than us. Handling all that, I think it’s fantastic that people are talking about us and the tournament. It means people care and want to see Australia do well. Of course, I’d like to make a few more runs but if I’m just contributing with the gloves then so be it.”

Pakistan’s captain said the responsibility to turn things around rested with everyone, including the coaching staff, for a problem that’s been recurring for the past two years

Danyal Rasool in Centurion28-Dec-2018Less than three full sessions before the match ended with a commanding South African victory, Pakistan found themselves in relative control. They had a lead of 59 runs and still had nine wickets in hand to influence the result of the Centurion Test. But then Duanne Olivier and Kagiso Rabada went on a wicket-taking spree and that was that. Looking back on the three-day defeat, Sarfraz Ahmed pointed to that period of play with great regret.”We had an opportunity yesterday after tea. If we played one more hour, we had the opportunity to put runs on the board,” Sarfraz said. “But we didn’t capitalise on that, lost too many wickets and so lost the match.”It has become a pattern to such an extent, it almost approaches ritual status: the end of a Test match Pakistan could have been on the right side of, undone by the briefest of phases where the fall of one batsman has foreshadowed two, three, or in cases like yesterday, nine. While at times almost appearing at a loss to explain why these capitulations had become such a regular feature, Sarfraz said no one could be completely absolved from responsibility.”We are struggling in the second innings. We get a good start but whenever one wicket falls, we are not able to take control of the match. This has been happening for over two years, since Hamilton 2016. It has been so long we now need to realise where we’ve made mistakes. It is everyone’s responsibility, including the coaching staff’s.”We had the opportunity after tea yesterday again, but we failed to capitalise. We lost too many wickets by playing loose shots. We get under pressure too quickly and it becomes mentally challenging in the second and fourth innings.”More than once, he termed the SuperSport Park surface a “bowling paradise”, but refrained from offering any criticism of a pitch that saw no batsman from either unit look particularly comfortable for an extended period, and the match end well inside three days. Sarfraz, instead, said his side were better served focusing on their bowlers, who, along with a few of the younger batsmen, he termed “positives”.”I think a couple of positives in this match, the way Babar (Azam) played in the first innings and Imam-ul-Haq and Shan Masood in the second played, they showed great character. Another positive is our bowling. If we have runs on the board, we have the ability to bowl them out for any target.”I don’t want to say too much about the pitch. If you see it’s two and a half days, it’s not an easy pitch to bat on. Every batsman is struggling. The first 30-40 balls are not easy. If you see in the second innings, even Hashim Amla and Dean Elgar struggled early on. Early on, all batsmen are struggling. It is not an easy Test pitch, batting is very difficult. It is a bowling paradise kind of pitch.”Another positive for Pakistan will be the renewed availability of Haris Sohail and Mohammad Abbas, both of whom Sarfraz said would be fit for the Newlands Test, which begins on January 3. Asked if his side planned to spend the extra couple of days working on certain aspects of their cricket or resting, a world-weary Sarfraz finally allowed himself a smile.”I think rest is best.”