Azhar Mahmood wore the same resigned expression he had shown a week earlier. South Africa had walked off with an eight-wicket victory, and Pakistan’s head coach could point to one moment above all others.
“The first innings collapse was where it started,” he said in the post-match media chat. “We lost 5 for 17. We should have posted 400-425 there, which was the position we’d put ourselves in. Agha and Rizwan were building a partnership which we couldn’t utilise.”
The numbers are becoming depressingly familiar. Pakistan have now lost their last five wickets for fewer than 50 runs in four of the past five Test innings. Mahmood was blunt: “This is the fourth time in two Tests that we’ve lost wickets lower down the order cheaply. We need to take responsibility.”
Pakistan began the fourth morning in a position that, on paper, looked healthy. Babar Azam eased to a half-century, the lead nudging towards three figures, and the dressing-room balcony felt a little lighter. Twenty minutes later, Babar edged behind and South Africa’s seamers rolled through the tail almost on autopilot. From 272 for 5 to 289 all out – another twist of the same knife.
Mahmood insisted the issue had been discussed repeatedly at two separate training camps. Technique is one side of it, he argued, but mindset is the real missing piece. “You have to work on your game and know your scoring shots. You can learn from the opposition. Muthuswamy scored primarily from the sweep and reverse sweep. You should know your scoring options. When we went to bat, we started blocking early. If we had rotated the strike and put pressure on them, we could have pushed them off their lengths. The way they did – though of course a low target made it easier. You need mental toughness; international cricket is all about how you cope with pressure.”
That reference to Pravin Muthuswamy felt telling. When South Africa slipped to 235 for 8, they were still 98 adrift and seemed to be repeating their Lahore wobble. Instead, the left-hander, on just his third Test appearance, shepherded the tail with an unbeaten 88. His stands of 70 with Keshav Maharaj and 98 with Kagiso Rabada flipped the match, handing the tourists a 71-run lead and, as it turned out, complete control.
“You also have to give credit to opposition,” Mahmood added. “South Africa were much better than us in this department. We could have taken the lead but credit goes to Muthuswamy, the way he played; his shot selection was perfect. He put on 70 with Maharaj and 98 with Rabada. If you play with a quality team and you give them several chances in a brief period of time, they will punish you. That’s what happened and we allowed them extra runs.”
Aiden Markram’s polished fourth-innings 67 ensured there would be no late drama. He and Temba Bavuma ticked off 130 without fuss, leaving Shan Masood, who had spoken of “playing smart, ruthless cricket” only a fortnight earlier, to share the series trophy with Markram in front of a politely satisfied Rawalpindi crowd.
For Pakistan, the path forward looks clear enough, even if the solutions are not. The new-ball bowlers have struck often, the top order have banked starts, yet the back end of each innings keeps fraying. Mahmood’s parting words were measured but firm. Selection changes cannot be ruled out for the home series against New Zealand next month, though he declined to name names.
The head coach did, however, hint at an internal deadline. “We’ve identified the problem,” he said, almost wearily. “Now we have two weeks to show we can fix it on the field. Otherwise, we’ll have to look at different options.”
A familiar refrain, perhaps, but until that late-order habit is broken, Pakistan are likely to keep finding themselves on the rough side of otherwise even contests.
