LONDON: Pakistan bowling coach Umar Gul has issued an update on injured Pakistan captain Babar Azam ahead of the second Test against England, scheduled to begin on 27 August at Lord’s Cricket Ground.
Gul addressed the media and provided an update on Babar Azam, remaining hopeful that he will be available.
“Babar has practiced throwdowns, and later on, he also faced spinners and fast bowlers in the nets,” he told reporters.
“I think he looks good. He batted in all three nets. We are hopeful that he will be available,” he added.
Gul also highlighted Pakistan’s record at the venue, noting that the team was eager to play at the iconic ground.
“We are ready for the next game, and the team is looking forward to it. Everybody is very excited to play at Lord’s,” the bowling coach continued.
The 43-year-old identified the weather as a crucial factor behind Pakistan’s lackluster performance with the ball in the first Test.
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“When you come to England, and have to spend some time here, you need to acclimatise to the conditions. When we came from the West Indies, the weather was hot. That’s why we [bowlers] couldn’t execute properly because of the weather. That’s why our [bowlers] couldn’t execute due to the weather,” the former pacer explained.
“Particularly, at Lord’s, our record is very good. We have won in the past. In our team huddle this morning, our head coach talked about our record at the venue. If we win here, the series will still be alive.”
He defended the decision to play three seamers and one frontline spinner, compared with England, who played four fast bowlers.
“If we talk about our selection in the [previous match], particularly the playing XI, it was the right decision. When we arrived at Headingley, considering the kind of surface it was, the practice we had done, we were thinking of going with four pacers,” he noted.
“But when we saw the pitch on the eve of the Test, our captain and coach assessed it, and going with one frontline spinner was a good decision.”
“The selection decision was right, but in England, as I have said earlier, you have some time to acclimatize to the conditions. At Headingley, however, due to conditions, I believe our bowlers looked stiff,” Gul concluded.
