Youngsters such as Naseem Shah and Shaheen Afridi will learn from such experiences: Mushtaq Ahmed

Despite having conceded 332 first innings runs to England on day 1 of the third Test, Mushtaq Ahmed, Pakistan’s spin bowling coach is upbeat about Pakistan’s chances of levelling the series.

Defending the Pakistan bowlers, who found bowling in tough conditions a hard task, and whose lack of experience was on display yesterday, Mushtaq said at the press conference after the end of day 1, “It was quite tough. The weather played a huge role. The pitch was very flat, and the toss was vital on that pitch. And because the wind was there the whole day, it was very difficult for the bowlers to control their line and length consistently.

“It was tough especially for young bowlers like Naseem (Shah) and Shaheen (Afridi). They are new to Test cricket but they made a huge effort and they can be proud of it.

“I think we are working on how to deal with being under pressure. When the opposition attacks your young bowlers, it naturally is difficult for them to handle it. But obviously, the credit goes to Crawley and Buttler. They played very well, and this is a flat first-day pitch. The wind made it even tougher, and that’s not an excuse, but it’s also reality.”

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Despite some erratic bowling at times, Pakistan did manage to put it in the perfect areas on a few occasions in the morning and afternoon sessions, reducing England to 127/4 at one stage. But a counter-attacking measure from Jos Buttler and Zak Crawley eliminated the threat and the pressure inflicted by the Pakistanis, who then had to resort to stopping the alarming flow of runs.

Yasir Shah, who was Pakistan’s most successful bowler with 2 wickets, went for plenty towards the latter stages of the day. “When a spinner goes out with young quicks, he has two kinds of responsibilities,” explained Mushtaq. “You have to ensure you’re not too expensive, and also be the man who needs to break partnerships.

“He bowled 29 overs in a spell, and it was all against the wind. All series, England’s plan has been to attack him so he doesn’t settle. So there’s a lot of pressure on Yasir, but we’d been telling him what a match-winner he is.

“His responsibilities this series have increased. Previously, we used to have (Mohammad) Amir and other senior bowlers who kept a lid on the scoring, and that way Yasir was free to just attack. So the burden on him has increased but he bowled very well today, and he’s enjoying the challenge on. But they attacked him well, and without life in the wicket, he struggled.”

Mushtaq also backed young speedster Naseem to perform better after a challenging day. Naseem tried bowling at pace more often, but due to his erratic accuracy, he was carted all over the place. But when he got his line and length right, he succeeded in troubling the batsman. The wicket of Joe Root is evidence of this fact. Naseem got one to lift, seaming away from middle and off, and all Root could do was get a thick outside edge, a brilliant moment of play for Pakistan capped by wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan snaring a sensational diving catch from in front of first slip.

It was one that caught everyone, not least Root, by surprise. But as figures of 17-4-66-1 suggest, it wasn’t all hunky-dory for the teenager. Mushtaq denied he was tired and needed a rest, instead emphasising the importance of experience for Naseem.

Mushtaq said, “Naseem didn’t bowl too many overs in the first two Tests, so fatigue isn’t the issue. To learn Test cricket, he needs to play Test cricket. The more he bowls and the more difficult conditions in which he bowls, the better it is for his career. He has the talent, but this is a learning process.

“Today was a difficult day to bowl on, but he’ll learn from it and it will come good later in his career. Sometimes when you have tough days, you learn, and this is what Waqar (Younis) was teaching him, about how much effort to put in, and how to bowl to specific batsmen. The quicker he learns, the stronger Pakistan’s bowling attack will get.

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“We need to try and bowl them out in the first session under 400. That leaves us with over three-and-a-half days and an opportunity to put up a big total ourselves. You never know what can happen in the fourth innings, and we have to believe in ourselves. They may have had a good day, but we’ll come out fresh tomorrow.

“The ball is still new, and even if one of our bowlers stands up and makes a contribution, they have a long tail. The pitch is flat and the conditions are there to be exploited. England’s bowlers will find it difficult, too, and we believe we can still win the Test.”