Daily Times

Pakistan coach Mohammad Hafeez says he disagreed with captain Shan Masood’s decision not to inject player-of-the-series Aamir Jamal into the bowling attack earlier in Australia’s run chase at the SCG.

The hosts cruised to an eight-wicket victory on day four of the third Test on Saturday, only briefly appearing troubled after Usman Khawaja went for a duck in the first over.

From there, David Warner (57) and Marnus Labuschagne (62no) brutalised the Pakistan bowling attack as Australia chased down their 129-run target in less than a session’s worth of play. They finished at 2-130, sealing a 3-0 series whitewash and clinching a fairytale send-off for the retiring Warner. Perplexingly, Pakistan chose not to bowl rookie paceman Aamir – their leading wicket-taker and best player this series – before the lunch break.

Aamir earned his second six-fer of the series in the first innings and had taken the wicket of every Australian player at some point during the series. But by the time he came on to bowl the first of his four overs after lunch, Australia were 1-97 and looking assured of victory.

Hafeez said the turning and deteriorating SCG wicket had influenced Masood’s decision not to throw Aamir the ball.

Between them, spinners Salman Agha and Sajid Khan bowled 16 of Pakistan’s 26 overs on Saturday. “Every bowler was available but it was the captain’s tactics,” Hafeez said.

“One thing was very sure – that we wanted to bowl more from the offspinners because this track can offer plenty of assistance to the offspinners from the far end. “But the rest of the things, the captain whoever he thinks is the best, he proceeded accordingly.”

Hafeez said that in Masood’s shoes, he would’ve done things differently. “Tactically, yes (Aamir) should have bowled earlier,” the coach said. “But sometimes … the captain is the best judge, who he feels like (bowling according to the) tactics.” Despite Pakistan’s difficulties containing Australia’s batters on day four, Hafeez stood by the decision to rest the dangerous Shaheen Afridi in preparation for next week’s Twenty20 series with New Zealand.

The star paceman had struggled to find his rhythm in the first Test but had been Pakistan’s best in the second innings at the MCG as the tourists threatened to pull off an almighty upset.

“When I asked (Afridi) in the third Test, before the third Test, his body was sore,” Hafeez said. “I need to look after the guy better than any other thing, because if someone is thinking … that his body is sore, he cannot deliver the best. “It was a tough call but we made that decision for the betterment of a player.”