Azhar reveals tactics to thrive in West Indies as batsman

The 36-year-old stated that the ball could swing early which meant that opening batsmen had to make sure that their side did not give away early wickets

PHOTO: AFP

Pakistan’s batsman Azhar Ali, in a Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) video on Friday, revealed the tactics necessary for a batsman to survive on the pitches of West Indies ahead of the two-Test series between the sides.

The 36-year-old stated that the ball could swing early which meant that opening batsmen had to make sure that their side did not give away early wickets.

“Last time when I played in West Indies, I opened the innings. The last time we played in Jamaica and the pitch was good. It had carry and we could play our shots. The other two pitches were on the slower side. The ball came on to the bat a bit with the new ball. The duke ball is used here. It swings in the start but gradually becomes soft. The outfield is also heavy sometimes because of rain and the shots might not always travel. That creates frustration sometimes,” Azhar said.

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“As a batsman, you go in to make runs. But the way I planned my innings here was to give a good start to the team. I would try that early wickets didn’t fall and I wanted to punish balls that were in my zone because when the ball is hard, it can travel. The softer it gets, the harder it becomes to score,” he added.

The experienced batsman expressed hope that the pitch during their upcoming matches will be good to score on while emphasising the need to absorbing pressure.

“Hopefully the pitch in Jamaica will be good and we will get runs on it. But sometimes there are phases here where you do not get runs. At that time, you have to keep yourself calm. When you get an opportunity, for example if you feel you can score against a spinner, then a batsman should take a chance. They also have to absorb pressure where they think taking a chance could lead to a fall of wicket. These are the important factors to remember in West Indies. You have to know where to attack and where to absorb pressure. There is always a breaking point. We should try that they break instead of us,” he concluded.