Press Trust of India

Pakistan was in a commanding position until Day 4 of Test 1, but the counter display of Jos Buttler and Chris Woakes helped England chase 277 and go 1-0 in the 3-match series.

Pakistan is able to bounce back and win the 3-Test series against England, says Inzamam-ul-Haq (Reuters Photo)

HIGHLIGHT

  • Pakistan lost Test 1 against England despite taking a 107-run lead in the first inning
  • I think the Pakistan team is better than England and we should have won the first round: Inzamam
  • When you go through a difficult phase, the body language of the team should not change: Inzamam

Calling Pakistan a “better team” than England, former captain Inzamam-ul-Haq feels Azhar Ali’s men have it to come back from the defeat in the first test and clinch the three-game series.

Pakistan was in a dominant position on the final day of the first Test at Old Trafford but ended up losing the game by three wickets, thanks to blows from Jos Buttler and Chris Woakes on the fast break.

Inzamam, 50, who has scored 8,830 runs in 120 events and 11,739 runs in 378 ODIs, said it was disappointing to see Pakistan lose from a winning position, but backed his country to turn things around in Game 2.

“I think the Pakistan team is better than England and we should have won the first round. It is very disappointing, but I think Pakistan can still win the series,” Inzamam said on his YouTube channel.

Pakistan had taken a 107-run lead in the first inning but was eliminated by 169 in their second trial, leaving England with a target of 277.

Then the visitors reduced England to 117-for-five, but Buttler and Woakes shared a winning position of 139 to take the game away from Pakistan.

Pakistan should focus on the positive: Inzamam

Inzamam said the team’s leadership should motivate the players, who appeared dejected after their second inning collapse.

“When you’re going through a difficult phase, the team’s body language shouldn’t change. This was clearly the case in the first test because the Pakistani players seemed to be under pressure after the second-inning hitting collapse on the third day,” he said.

“The role of team leadership is vital after such a loss because the morale of the players will drop. They need to talk about the positives, like scoring over 300 runs and leading the first inning, rather than focusing on the negatives.”, said. said.