No doubt Pakistan can beat Australia in Australia: Mohammad Hafeez

Pakistan’s team director Mohammad Hafeez said Shan Masood and his men have what it takes to beat Australia in Australia despite being completely outclassed in the opening Test in Perth. Pakistan were bundled out for just 89 in the final innings and lost the game by 360. This was Pakistan’s 15th consecutive defeat Down Under.

“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,” said Hafeez.

"We couldn't execute our skills. We made plans for the team, but unfortunately, as a team, we couldn't execute our plans. Obviously, the guys wanted to, but they never applied themselves, to be honest. As a team, we made a couple of tactical errors. There were certain situations where we could have dominated. We were prepared, but our execution wasn't great.”

Australian skipper Pat Cummins sympathised with Pakistan, saying it’s not easy to win overseas Tests. "We know from travelling overseas, if you go to foreign conditions and if you're a batter and you don't score runs, you start questioning things. As a bowler, if you haven't had a huge impact, you start looking at your own game perhaps a bit more than you do at home.

"We love these conditions. We know these conditions really well. I think that's what makes playing and winning away from home so difficult. I know we will have a pretty stress-free week going into Boxing Day. I think everyone's in a really good place."

Talking about the team combination for the second Test, which will be played in Melbourne from December 26, Cummins said: “I don't think injuries are going to be an issue, so I dare say it will be a pretty similar line-up at this stage. I think all the bowlers are pretty fresh after (the win in Perth). It's basically the ideal start to the summer.”