RAWALPINDI - Pakistan’s new fast bowling sensation Naseem Shah admitted that in the initial part, he was not bowling according to plan, but later he adjusted well and managed to grab wickets.
Naseem expressed these views after the first day’s play at media centre on Wednesday. He said: “We were adopting simple policy and that was to contain the opponents and force them to commit mistakes. The way I was bowling, I think, I could have get at least one more wicket, but we will try to contain them and bowl them out for around 250 runs.”
When asked to express his feelings of playing the first Test in front of local crowd, Naseem replied: “I wasn’t under any sort of pressure, rather I was very excited to play in front of local crowd. Like witnessed in Australia, where local crowd was right behind their bowlers, today I was really enjoying my bowling, as crowd was right behind me. There was dew in the wicket and moisture was also favourable, but in cricket, sometimes results don’t come immediately. Sri Lankans played the first session really well.”
He said the team management better understands how they manage him. “The fast bowlers were getting assistance from the pitch when we bowled at right areas. Abbas, Shaheen and Shinwari bowled superbly according to set plan. The way crowd supported me with every ball, I am very grateful to them.” When asked whether the team felt the absence of Yasir Shah, Naseem replied: “It was team management’s decision, who to pick and whom to drop. We bowled according to plan, which paid off well.”
To another query regarding setting world records, he said: “No, I don’t have any particular record in my mind, but it will be my utmost try to play for the country and perform wonders for it. We tried to get wickets in the first session, but we failed to do so in the first session. We will bounce back and try to get out remaining Sri Lankan batsmen as quickly as possible.”
Sharing his views, Sri Lankan captain Dimuth Karunaratne said: “We played really well in the first session, but after that, Pakistani bowlers bowled really well and kept on frustrating us. We committed mistakes, which the hosts chance to get precious wickets. We have set target of around 300 runs in our mind. Pakistan have good players and we learnt a lot on the first day.
“The PCB has given us tremendous support as well. The spectators are very supportive and we received tremendous welcome from Pakistanis. If we compare it with other cricket playing nations, we are very happy that Pakistanis are keeping good care of us,” he concluded. Meanwhile, The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced free entry for spectators on all stands with the only exception of hospitality, Imran Khan and Shoaib Akhtar enclosures.