Disappointed after first Test loss but ready to bounce back - Sarfaraz

Pakistan head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed on Friday admitted that the team was disappointed after being beaten by Bangladesh in the opening Test in Dhaka, but insisted they are looking to bounce back in the second Test.

Bangladesh won the opening Test by 104 runs to take a 1-0 lead in the series, which is part of the ICC World Test Championship. The Pakistan head coach added that the side is aiming to make a comeback and have been boosted by the return of Babar Azam, who missed the opening Test due to injury.

"Definitely, we as a team are disappointed after the first Test match, but the past is the past," Sarfaraz told reporters in Sylhet ahead of the second Test. "So, we are hopeful for the next match Insha'Allah, we will bounce back as a team," he said.

"What happened in the past has happened. We are not talking about the previous match. We are focused on our next match and we will bounce back," he said.

Sarfaraz brushed aside mounting criticism directed at Pakistan's senior players on social media following the defeat to Bangladesh, which sparked a wave of criticism back home from former cricketers and fans alike, with several senior players and captain Shan Masood coming under fire.

"You talk about the criticism of our senior players - it is not new for us," said Sarfaraz, the former Pakistan captain who has experienced public scrutiny throughout his career.

"Definitely, we all know if we are not playing good cricket, the criticism is there. So, we are not worrying about social media things. Our focus is to play the next match. Hopefully, my captain and all the team will play good cricket in the next matches," he said, adding that discipline will be a key area for improvement.

"We need to be more disciplined. If you talk about playing Test matches, we need to be disciplined with bowling length and batting more patiently," he said.

"We sat down and discussed all these points as a team after we arrived here," he added, referring to Pakistan's collapse in two sessions despite knowing they needed to draw or win the match.

"I am hopeful that the senior players will take responsibility, and Insha'Allah, when such a position arises again, they will pull the team out of it," he concluded.

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