Pakistan Head Coach Sarfaraz Ahmed has admitted that the team’s players have performed poorly on the England tour but insisted that he would not “throw them under the bus” over their disappointing performances.
At the end of the second day of the Lord’s Test, Sarfaraz Ahmed told reporters at a press conference that this is our team and that Pakistan’s best players are part of it. He said the team’s main problem is that when the batting performs well, the bowling tends to struggle, and vice versa.
Sarfaraz said that Mohammad Rizwan, Saud Shakeel and Salman Ali Agha have all performed well in the past, but are currently struggling to score runs. As head coach, he said he would continue to stand by them. “We will sit down after the series, discuss everything, and then decide who should remain in the team and who should be left out,” he said.
He acknowledged that, unfortunately, the results were not in Pakistan’s favour, but stressed that the national team is a professional side and must accept its shortcomings. “I admit that there are problems with our batting. These are all good boys, and they are working very hard. But if the national team wants to maintain its identity at the international level and compete according to world standards, the players will have to perform,” Sarfaraz said.
He added that the team needed to return to the basics and improve through first-class cricket, where players could work on their weaknesses. Regarding the team’s overall performance, Sarfaraz said he accepted full responsibility as head coach and would not blame anyone else.
“I take full responsibility for the team’s performance. I cannot blame anyone,” he said. Meanwhile, play on the second day of the Lord’s Test ended with England at 81 for 3 in their second innings.