Sarfaraz Ahmed Highlights Pakistan’s Batting Struggles, Urges Players to Spend More Time at the Crease

Pakistan’s batting struggles have become a major concern during their Test series against England, with coach Sarfaraz Ahmed admitting that the team’s inability to remain at the crease for extended periods has hurt their chances. Pakistan were dismissed for just 110 in their first innings at Lord’s, recording their third total below 200 in the series.

The collapse followed scores of 171 and 135 in the first Test at Leeds, where Pakistan suffered an innings defeat. Sarfaraz acknowledged that the repeated batting failures could not be ignored and said the players were aware that they needed to spend considerably more time in the middle.

According to the Pakistan coach, the opening phase of an innings is particularly demanding in the conditions England have offered. He stressed that surviving the first 30 to 40 deliveries could put batters in a much stronger position to build substantial innings. Sarfaraz pointed to young opener Azan Awais as an example of how patience and sound technique can help against quality bowling.

Awais faced 102 deliveries for his 46 and successfully negotiated a difficult early spell from England fast bowler Jofra Archer. Sarfaraz praised the 21-year-old for remaining composed under pressure and said the experience could prove valuable for his development.

While admitting that Pakistan’s batting had not performed to the required standard, Sarfaraz also credited England’s bowlers and fielders. Pakistan had attempted to strengthen their batting combination, but the changes had failed to produce the desired results.

The coach also acknowledged that Pakistan’s limited exposure to red-ball cricket could have contributed to their difficulties. The team had played a large number of T20 matches over the previous year, but Sarfaraz rejected the idea that the format imbalance could be used as the sole explanation. He said professional players must be capable of adapting between formats.