Inzamam-ul-Haq confident of Pakistan winning the series despite losing the 1st Test

Inzamam-ul-Haq said he believes that Pakistan can still win the three-match Test series despite losing the first Test match against England at the Old Trafford, Manchester. Pakistan had no one but themselves to blame after they failed to capitalise despite having a huge lead of 107 runs in the first innings. Their batsmen failed to apply themselves in the second innings as they were bundled out cheaply and now head into the next Test match at Southampton by trailing 0-1 in the three-match series.

'Pakistan can still win the series': Inzamam-ul-Haq

Analysing the entire Test match on his official  Youtube channel, Inzamam went on to say Pakistan are a better team than England and that the visitors should have won the first Test. He then mentioned that even though it was a disappointing performance but he believes that Pakistan can still win the series.

The former Pakistani skipper then added that the team’s body language should not change when they are going through a rough phase which was clearly the case in the first Test because Pakistan players seemed to be under pressure following a batting collapse in the second innings on the third day.

Furthermore, the 1992 World Cup winner then added that the role of the team management is important after such a defeat because the players’ morale will be down and they need to talk about the positives rather than focusing on the negatives.

England snatch victory from jaws of defeat

The hosts seemed to be down and out at one stage after they were bundled out for 219 in their first innings in reply to Pakistan's total of 326 riding on an outstanding ton from opener Shan Masood as the visitors got a huge first-innings lead of 107. Nonetheless, Azhar Ali & Co. failed to capitalise in their second innings as Masood got out without troubling the scorers and even Babar Azam departed for five. Skipper Ali's poor form continued as he was plumb in front of the wicket for just eight. 

Pakistan had resumed Day 4 at 137/9. However, it did not take the English pacers too long to run past their tail-enders and bundle them out for 169 as the hosts were set a stiff target of 277 runs to draw first blood in the three-match series. It was always going to be a challenge for England as they had to see of the new ball which provides a lot of assistance to the seamers upfront in those overcast conditions which they did to some extent.

Nonetheless, the English side kept on losing wickets at regular intervals even though a few of the batsmen were keeping the scoreboard ticking. At 117/5, it seemed that it was all over for the English side but Jos Buttler and Chris Woakes had other ideas as they made a stellar contribution lower down the order. The duo added 139 runs for the sixth-wicket stand and brought England on the verge of a famous win.

Unfortunately, Buttler was trapped plumb in front of the wicket for an outstanding 75 that included seven boundaries and a maximum. Even though the home side lost the wicket of Stuart Broad as well, Woakes ensured that there were no further hiccups and helped England cross the finish line by three wickets.

READ: Meme Fest Ensues As Pakistan Snatch Defeat From Jaws Of Victory Against Eng In 1st Test