KARACHI: Pakistan batting coach Mohammad Yousuf asserted opening batter Abdullah Shafique’s dismissal on the second day of the second Test against New Zealand was unlucky.

Yousuf, while talking to the media following the conclusion of the second day’s play responded to a question regarding opener Abdullah’s struggling patch and his dismissal by stating that the latter is trying hard to get away and going but he just got unlucky in the process.

“He scored a century in the first Test against England and has been struggling since then and I think the field is like an examination hall for a player. So, if a player is struggling then it is difficult to interfere in the technical elements involved,” stated Yousuf.

“But, some of the tuning and conversation get going with him and he himself is trying hard in this regard so, obviously if any player experience such situations as we did in our time when four-five innings go bad then it feels even harder for the batter.

“But, he still keeps doing something for it. So, in my opinion, it is even more inappropriate to disturb him during the strive. Since it is hard for a batter to get over his struggling patch after four-five bad innings yet it is not impossible.

“I even think he got unlucky this time as the ball bounced a little too much and came slow and produced a top edge.”

Yousuf then denied the speculations regarding Shan Masood and Abdullah being given instructions to play a bit more aggressively and made clear that the management always backs players to play their natural games.

“It’s their own game. There is no such instruction from management or the captain. It has always been our stance to let players their natural game according to their strengths,” said Yousuf.

The batting coach then lamented the absence of clay soil in the country to make more lively and result-generating wickets, while also credited New Zealand tailenders Ajaz Patel and Matt Henry for their astounding 10th-wicket partnership.

It is worth mentioning here that New Zealand pushed Pakistan to the backfoot by dismantling the hosts’ top order after posting a mammoth 449 runs in the first innings of the ongoing second Test.

Left-handed batters Imam-ul-Haq and Saud Shakeel, however, launched a counter-attack as they raised a 55-run partnership for the fourth wicket before stumps.

Imam (74*) and Saud (13*) will now resume Pakistan’s first innings at 154/3 as they are still 295 runs behind.

READ: Imam, Saud hang on after Pakistan’s jittery start on Day 2