PAK vs ENG: Yousuf defends Pakistan's batting in Test cricket
England won the series after edging Pakistan by 26 runs in the second Test
Pakistan batting coach Mohammad Yousuf has defended Pakistan's batting in Test cricket ahead of the final match against England at the National Bank Cricket Arena in Karachi.
After beating Pakistan by 74 runs in the first Test at the Pindi Cricket Stadium, England won the series after edging Pakistan by 26 runs in the second Test at the Multan Cricket Stadium.
Ahead of the third and final Test, Yousuf backed the national side's batting line-up in the longest format of the game.
"The impression that Pakistan is not batting well is wrong. I am a batting coach, so I am not saying that. The criticism of the team's overall batting performance is understandable but to say that batting is failing is not correct," the former cricketer told Geo.tv in an exclusive interview.
"The deliveries that got Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam out were very good. There is room for improvement, which is being attempted. Rizwan's batting technique is not the problem in Tests. He has played so much cricket that he needs some tuning, which we are working on," he added.
The former batter clarified that the home side will only be aiming for a win as it will have a positive impact on the green shirts' upcoming series.
"We will aim to win the Karachi Test. Neither England nor we want to draw. Pakistan team will enter the field to win. If the series ends with a win, it has a positive effect on the upcoming series," he said.
Talking about pitch conditions in the last Test, he added: "Karachi's pitch looks similar to Multan's, but it is not whiter than the latter's. We can expect a slow pitch but I am not a pitch expert."
Moreover, Yousuf rued the inexperience of the hosts for the loss in the first two matches.
"Pakistan team is inexperienced in Test cricket compared to England. Session-by-session planning has to be done in this format. National players do not have much experience in Test cricket. Despite the lack of experience, Pakistan players performed well," he concluded.
The third and final Test of the three-match series will be staged at the National Bank Cricket Arena in Karachi from December 17 to 21.
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