'He should have...': Head coach Mohammad Hafeez indirectly blames Shan Masood for Pakistan's defeat in 3rd Test vs AUS

Pakistan's head coach and team director Mohammad Hafeez was left surprised by Shan Masood's tactics to bring young fast bowler Aamer Jamal late in the bowling attack during Australia's second innings. Hafeez pointed out that on-field decision-making is entirely captain's responsibility.

Pakistan were dismissed for a mere 115 runs in their second innings at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG), setting a target of 130 runs for Australia. Notably, Aamer Jamal, the series' second-highest wicket-taker, did not bowl until the 20th over of the innings. Australia ended up winning the match by eight wickets, claiming the series 3-0.

In the post-match press conference, Hafeez clarified why spinner Sajid Khan was chosen to open the bowling on a pitch favoring turn. Nevertheless, he suggested that Aamer Jamal could have been brought into the attack sooner.

“It’s up to the captain. All bowlers were available, but it’s the captain’s tactic. We wanted to bowl more from the off-spinner because this track can offer a lot from the far end, but the rest is up to (Masood). Tactically, I think Jamal should have bowled earlier, but inside the field, the captain is the best judge so you have to back that up,” Hafeez was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.

In his Test debut during the series opener in Perth, Jamal delivered dazzled with an impressive spell of 6/111. In the third Test's first innings against Australia, Jamal shone again, this time picked 6/69 runs, culminating in a total of 18 wickets for the series with an outstanding average of 20.44.

Jamal also played a key role in Pakistan's performance during the Sydney Test, contributing a vital 82 runs in the first innings. His remarkable effort helped lift Pakistan from a precarious position of 220/7, pushing the team's score past the 300-run mark.

Hafeez recognised the team's failure to seize crucial moments in the game, resulting in missed opportunities. He reflected on the possibility of setting a more manageable target in the second Test to achieve a win in Melbourne.

“We learned hard lessons. As a team, we had our moments but we couldn’t grab those. We perhaps didn’t (deserve) 3-0, as a team I think we did some really good things this series, but we couldn’t win the crucial moments of the game and that’s the reason for the 3-0. We lost the series, but watching the talent of the players is what made me say we could compete right from the start.”

“We’ve seen some glimpses of it. There were certain moments in these games that we should have grabbed because they can make a difference, especially in Melbourne when they were 16 for 4. It could have been a situation where we needed to chase just 140-150 but it ended up above 300,” Hafeez concluded.

In Melbourne, Pakistan responded to Australia's first-innings total of 318 with a promising start, scoring 124 runs for the loss of one wicket. However, their innings took a turn for the worse as they lost their next five wickets for just 46 runs, culminating in a total of 264. In their second innings, Pakistan made a strong start by reducing Australia to 16/4. A crucial moment was missed when they failed to catch Mitchell Marsh early in his innings, allowing him to steer Australia towards a stronger position. During their chase for victory, Pakistan experienced a batting collapse, losing 5 wickets for only 18 runs while still 98 runs short of their target.

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