Pakistan suffered a huge defeat against England in the first Test match in Multan on Friday. England beat the hosts by an innings and 47 runs at Multan Cricket Stadium to continue Pakistan's winless streak at home since 2022. (Match Report | More Cricket News)
Pakistan captain Shan Masood expressed his discontent with the bowlers, indirectly holding them responsible for the lack of wickets in the match.
"We've spoken about the third innings or fourth innings, but at the end of the day, it's a team game. Everything has its advantages and repercussions as a team. When you put up 550 on the board, it's important to back it up with 10 wickets. That's something we didn't do", said Masood during the post-match presentation.
Masood stressed the need to take 20 wickets in Test cricket. He asked his bowlers to take notes from the English side on how to take 20 wickets in the match.
"We can learn from England as well. They've found a way to get those 20 wickets. Can't win Test matches without picking up 20 wickets. As a team, yes we have that second innings of batting to improve, but we have to learn to pick up 20 wickets. That's the challenge as a side going forward.
He congratulated England especially Joe Root and Harry Brook who took the game away from their hands. Both batters were involved in a 454-run partnership for the fourth wicket which helped England take the lead in the first innings over Pakistan.
Pakistan captain talked about the hard work the Pakistan team is putting in but are being unable to generate the result that they wanted.
"We're obviously hurt by the results, hurt as a nation. But the beauty of the game is it always gives you another chance. Life gives you another chance. So the quick turnaround might be beneficial for us and we're looking forward to it. I never try to shy away from responsibility. What hurts is that we're not getting the results that Pakistan cricket deserves", said Masood.
England's stand-in captain Ollie Pope thanked his bowlers for bowling in the right areas and continuously building pressure on the hosts which eventually led them to lose their wickets.
"Credit to the bowlers for the way they went about their stuff on Day 1 and majority of Day 2. The way Brydon bowled on debut was awesome. Charged in, showed a lot of heart and never complained once. And Leach. Coming back into the side this week - he's had some success here before. He's fit right back into the team", said Pope when asked about Carse's debut and Leach's performance.
He also credited the win to Root and Brook for their mammoth innings which sealed the victory for the visitors.
"It wasn't just a hundred, but it was 260 and 315 something. Credit to them, obviously the skills they have and the determination to put the team in a winning position. It was awesome", said the England captain.
Player of the Match, Harry Brook, who hit a triple century in Multan talked about the heat in which he played for hours and his partnership with Joe Root.
"Enjoyed it a lot. It was tough out there in the heat. We were just batting for as long as possible, to be honest. We had a chat at lunchtime and knew we were going to be batting out there for a little period after lunch. Just have to try and enjoy batting, and build a partnership, and keep trying to rotate strike - put the bowlers under pressure", said Brook.
