Pakistan can beat Australia in Australia, says Mohammad Hafeez despite 360-run drubbing in Perth

Pakistan team director and interim coach Mohammad Hafeez continued to back his side even after their 360-run humbling at the hands of Australia in the first Test in Perth, saying they had the talent to succeed Down Under.

Pakistan were routed inside four days in the opening game of the three-Test series, getting bowled out for 89 after being set an improbable 450 to win by the world Test champions. The only bright spots for the visitors was pacer Aamer Jamal collecting 6/111 on Test debut and opener Imam-ul-Haq scoring 62 — the only half-century by a Pakistani in the fixture.

Hafeez felt that while the Pakistani team had the talent needed to beat Australia, their success hinged on their ability to execute their plans.

“I’ve seen during our preparation the amount of talent these guys have. There’s no doubt that they can beat Australia here in Australia. But obviously, we couldn’t do that execution-wise. The plan was there and we prepared accordingly.

“I still believe that as a team, Pakistan can beat Australia here in Australia, but we must execute our skills when required,” Hafeez said on the sidelines of a team practice session in Melbourne, where the two sides lock horn in the second Test starting Boxing Day, 26 December.

The Shan Masood-led Pakistani team is scheduled to face Victoria in a practice match before they face Australia in a must-win clash at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. The visitors had earlier played their first tour game on a slow wicket at Canberra’s Manuka Oval, preparing in conditions that were vastly different from the fast and bouncy conditions in Perth.

The visitors however, will hope the conditions at the Junction Oval, where the practice match starts Friday, will be closer to what they can expect at the MCG, and not chalk-and-cheese like Canberra and Perth.

Not only have Pakistan not won a Test series on Australian soil, they are yet to win a match in whites in nearly three decades — having won their last Test Down Under all the way back in 1995.