PAK vs SA 2021: Hasan Ali reveals advice from Waqar Younis during lunch break on Day 5
Pakistan right-arm pacer Hasan Ali has revealed the advice he received from Pakistan's bowling coach, Waqar Younis, during the lunch break on Day 5 of the 2nd Test vs South Africa.
In pursuit of a daunting target of 370 runs, the visitors were placed in a decent position at the end of the first session with a handy partnership between Aiden Markram and Van der Dussen blossoming.
The carnage ensued shortly after the commencement of the second session, when Pakistan took the new ball. Pakistan's fast-bowling duo, Hasan Ali and Shaheen Afridi, ran rampant and triggered a horrendous batting collapse for South Africa.
Hasan Ali took a five-wicket haul - his second of the match - to break the backbone of South Africa's batting line-up while Shaheen Afridi scalped four wickets and annihilated the tourists' lower-order.
Hasan Ali was named man of the match for his scintillating 10-wicket match haul. Speaking on the post-match presser, the 26-year-old revealed the advice Waqar Younis had given him during the break to bowl a stump-to-stump line:
“Vicky Bhai [Waqar Younis] told us to not give up and keep hitting the ball on the right areas. There was variable bounce for fast-bowlers on the pitch, so our plan was to keep bowling stump to stump. He said once you get one wicket, others will follow and that’s what happened. We were also waiting for the new ball and it worked for us," said Hasan Ali.
Hasan Ali showed a lot of character and took advantage of the conditions: Babar Azam
Hasan Ali recorded his career-best figures of 10/114 in the match and was immensely lauded by his skipper, Babar Azam. The Pakistan captain praised Hasan Ali for exploiting the conditions and propelling Pakistan to a historic series victory:
“It was outstanding from Hasan Ali because he has awareness and took advantage of the experience of playing here [Rawalpindi]. He came back into the team after a year but showed a lot of character. At one time, we thought the game could've gone either way when Markram and Bavuma were playing well. But we knew, one wicket and we can come back into the game again," Babar Azam said.
It was Pakistan's first Test series victory over South Africa since 2003. The focus now shifts to white-ball cricket as the two teams fly to Lahore for a three-match T20I series starting on February 11.