ISLAMABAD: Confident Saud Shakil hopes for a complete turnaround in the second Test at Melbourne, saying that conditions there favour batsmen.
“All of a sudden coming back from Perth to Melbourne gives you a lot of different feelings. Here today we enjoyed our practice as wickets are good to bat on. Though there is bounce there are no cracks around as was the case in Perth. We hope for a complete turnaround with the start of the second Test where we are all geared up to give a tough fight to Australia,” he said on Thursday.
About the Perth track, Saud said he had never played on drop-in pitches, especially the one that has got big cracks. “Coming out of Canberra from a low-bounced pitch, playing on a wicket that had cracks on the fourth day was never a good experience. Here in Melbourne things look a lot better,” he said.
Saud said that the remaining two Tests provide the team a great opportunity. “We have never won a series in Australia. It is a great opportunity for us to do well and rewrite history.” He praised Babar Azam saying he needs just one good inning to come back to full groove. “He is a class act and can turn things around at any time.”
On Kurram Shehzad’s injury, he said unfortunately he would not be in a position to take any more part in the series. “He bowled brilliantly. But at the same time his absence provides opportunity to others to fill and make their best efforts to make an impression.”
Saud was excited at playing the Test at Melbourne. “It has always been my favourite ground. As a kid I used to watch the Boxing Day Test at the venue with utmost interest by getting up early in the morning.”