Pakistan team director explains why Aamer Jamal bowled late in second innings of third Test against Pakistan

Pakistan team director Mohammad Hafeez has explained why Aamer Jamal came to bowl late on Day Four. At that point, Australia needed only 33 runs to win. On Day Four, the Asian side started with 67/7 on board and a lead of 81 runs. On the fourth and last day, the Shan Masood-led side reached only 115 runs, asking the home side to chase 130 runs.

During the defense, Pakistan trusted Sajid Khan to pick wickets and bring back the team in the game. When Jamal came to bowl after Lunch, when the Aussies needed only 33 runs, the right-arm all-rounder came to bowl. Notably, Jamal took a five-wicket haul in the first innings to hand a 14-run lead.

“It’s up to the captain,” Hafeez said after the game, talking about the bowling plans. “All bowlers were available but it’s the captain’s tactic. We wanted to bowl more from the offspinner because this track can offer a lot from the far end but the rest is up to [Masood]. Tactically, I think Jamal should have bowled earlier, but inside the field, the captain is the best judge so you have to back that up.”

We have learned hard lessons during the series: Mohammad Hafeez

“We learned hard lessons,” Hafeez said. “As a team, we had our moments but we couldn’t grab those. We perhaps didn’t [deserve] 3-0, as a team I think we did some really good things this series, but we couldn’t win the crucial moments of the game and that’s the reason for the 3-0. We lost the series, but watching the talent of the players is what made me say we could compete right from the start. We’ve seen some glimpses of it. There were certain moments in these games that we should have grabbed because they can make a difference, especially in Melbourne when they were 16 for 4. It could have been a situation where we needed to chase just 140-150 but it ended up above 300.