"We are bit ahead of them": Hasan Ali after end of day 1 against Australia in 2nd Test
Dec 26, 2023
New Delhi [India], December 26 : Pakistan pacer Hasan Ali said that they are ahead of Australia after the end of the first day in the second Test match at Melbourne Cricket Ground on Tuesday.
While speaking at the post-match press conference, Ali said it was a good day for the Pakistani bowling attack. He added that they were "unlucky" for failing to get more wickets in the first three sessions of the Test match.
The pacer hoped to restrict the Australian batting lineup to the minimum possible score on the second day.
"We are a bit ahead of them right now. Honestly, it was a good day as a bowling unit. We are a bit unlucky; we didn't get enough wickets, but the best thing is that we have not given them enough runs. We're looking forward to tomorrow and restricting them to the minimum possible score," Ali was quoted by ESPNcricinfo as saying.
He revealed that the Pakistani players had a "small discussion" after the first session and in the second session they gave only 20 runs.
"There are certain times when the bowlers are a bit wayward, as [we were before lunch], or the bowlers have different plans. But there is always a chance to come back. After lunch, we had a small discussion, and we were especially good during that period. We just gave them about 20 runs in that session," he added.
Ali picked up only one wicket on the first day and gifted 28 runs. He dismissed Aussie opener Usman Khawaja in the 34th over for 42 runs.
Coming to the match, Australia can be content with a stumps total of 187/3 on a rainy Melbourne day that saw nearly a session lost to rain on Tuesday in the 2nd Test of the three-match series.
