Pakistan shredded their long-term plans after their innings loss in the first Test, making four changes and filling their side with spin options going forward and opting to reuse the same strip for the second day in a row. Salman admitted he expected a difficult day due to so much turmoil, but said he was inspired by his teammates’ reaction.
“To be honest, I was thinking, ‘It’s going to be difficult,'” Salman told Sky Sports. “There were a lot of changes, and big changes. But the way the team has solidified and the way the new guys came in and we welcomed them [has been great]. They come in and contribute.
“Take a look at Sajid [Khan]. He took seven wickets and scored notable runs. And then you will see Noman Ali. He came here, took wickets and scored remarkable runs. I think it’s great for Pakistan cricket, the way they came here, gelled and contributed. That’s wonderful.”
“We have to be realistic. It is effectively the ninth day of the wicket being played tomorrow and as we can see, it is doing a lot for the spinners. There are a lot of cracks there… [But] We all know that if you put in the work and establish a partnership, anything can happen. It would be an incredible chase. “It’s something we’ll obviously enjoy and try to achieve.”
Pakistan have not had a home Test since beating South Africa in February 2021, with four draws and seven defeats since then, and lost all six in their Tests in the last 365 days. Salman mentioned that ending those runs can be “very important” and that Pakistan would give their all in the fourth hour.
“It’s going to be huge, because we haven’t won a Test match at home in… I don’t know, God knows how many years,” he mentioned. “It’s going to be something very, very important for us. We’ll make sure we put in all our effort and win this game, because that’s very important to us.”
