Pakistan opener Fakhar Zaman has revealed the reason behind his slow batting stating that he adopted this style due to the situation of the game.
The 28-year-old — who is known for his aggressive style of play — made 94 runs at a strike rate of 47.47 runs in his debut innings against Australia in Abu Dhabi during the second Test.
Pakistan were 57 for 5 in the first session of ongoing Test match which is why Zaman — who came into the side after Imamul Haq was ruled out from the tour due to finger injury — completely changed his style of play due to tumbling wickets.
“Actually I changed my game because of the situation,” the left-handed batsman told the Wisden.com radio. “Before the game I was just looking to play my natural game. But after that situation, 57 for 5, after that, I was just looking to take my time because we weren’t in a good position to play naturally.”
Both Zaman and captain Sarfraz Ahmed put on 147 for the fifth wicket and rescued Pakistan from a precarious situation.
“Actually Sarfraz plays spin really well always and he was feeling comfortable. I was not feeling comfortable with the spinners, so I was just blocking balls and taking my time,” said Zaman.
The Pakistan opener also stressed on the importance of spending time on the wicket here in order to score runs.
“After those wickets we were just talking about taking our time. There was a bit of moisture on the wicket. After lunch we thought it would get better and it was after a while, so then we started scoring our runs,” he said.
Zaman’s composed knock played a crucial role in helping Pakistan post 282 runs on the board in their first innings.
This article is originally published on Cricket Pakistan.
