Babar Azam admits to not being upto the mark

Pakistan Cricket Team (Source: AP Newsroom)

In a disappointing end to the first Test for the Pakistan side, England triumphed by a margin of 74 runs through their aggressive approach led by skipper Ben Stokes. However, it was the opposition captain who had a tough time in dealing with the class of 'Bazball'.

Looking back at the loss, Babar Azam admitted that they weren't good enough during the chase, losing out on what he believed was a golden chance to earn a victory. 

Further, he mentioned that their hopes met a big dent when their lead pacer Haris Rauf suffered from an injury, causing them to change their plans.

"Yes, we started badly with the ball. We were not up to the mark with the ball. We tried to cover the score. We had a golden chance to win the test chasing, but we lost wickets in clusters. I think our bowling line-up is young. But Haris was injured and that hampered us a bit. They will learn. To be honest, it was difficult as England came all guns blazing today,"

The right-hander added that they would rue missed chances as they couldn't capitalise on crucial junctures.

"We expected their declaration after Tea and we planned accordingly. We had our moments, but lost wickets at crucial junctures and never had partnerships. There are positives to take to Multan. Our batting was good and the bowlers showed their potential. We will dwell on that and see where we go and how we can improve."

Pakistan will look to bounce back when they face the English side in the second Test beginning on 9th December at Multan.

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