Azhar Ali expects big crowd in Rawalpindi once again

KARACHI: Pakistan captain Azhar Ali expects a big crowd of spectators when they start their first Test against Bangladesh at Pindi Stadium in Rawalpindi on Friday (today).

“My only wish is the fans come to this Test the same way they did on that day (the last day of the first Test against Sri Lanka last year) and send a message to the world that tells them how much we love our cricket,” he told reporters on Thursday.

The first four days of the Test against Sri Lanka were affected by intermittent rain, but there was a large crowd at the stadium on the fifth day when Abid Ali and Babar Azam completed their centuries.

“I think Pindi was fantastic last time, the way the crowd came,” Azhar said. “The last day of the match, I promise only we know how much joy we felt at seeing that. Even though the game ended in a draw, it was so uplifting to see the crowds fill up like they did.

“That final day, remember that the game was dead with no hope of a result. But it was a full house and we had a lot of fun. Hopefully the crowds will be like that for this Test match and also the PSL,” said Azhar.

If it is the winter sunshine that drew people to the cricket that day, there is good news in store. The forecast for the upcoming Test is far more encouraging this time, and neither rain nor overcast skies are expected on any of the five days. Despite Bangladesh being on a five-Test losing streak, and having only ever won four Test matches away from home, Azhar was confident complacency would not get the better of his side.

“Potential wise, I think the Pakistan team is an excellent team,” he said. “I don’t want to get drawn into who is better, because who is better is the side that plays well on the day. Test matches aren’t easy to win. In any match, we think we’ll have to play our best cricket to beat Bangladesh. We are not taking them for granted whatsoever, and I think despite the absence of their senior players, they have players who can deliver match-winning performances. From the start, we just need to play our A game.

“We’re trying to continue the combination we had in Karachi. We’ll try and attack as we did in Rawalpindi. Last time, we barely played two full days in Pindi, so we couldn’t get a result. But this pitch should produce a result, and hopefully that result should be a positive one. With [the World Test Championship] points being at stake now, every Test match is important because we need to be at our best,” said Azhar, who will be playing his 78th Test, only the third on home soil.