Pakistani left-handed opener Imam-ul-Haq talked about the second Test against Sri Lanka which will be played in Colombo on Monday (July 24).
Imam, 27, stated that the team is hoping for a better wicket in Colombo and their goal is to win the series.
“When you are 1-0, then the responsibility and expectations also increase. Yes we are confident now but everyone in the camp knows that we have achieved nothing,” Imam said in an interview. “The victory was good but our goal is to win the series.”
Imam also recalled Pakistan’s 2022 tour to Sri Lanka where they also won the first match but couldn’t win the series.
“Last year we won the first Test as well, but that win was for nothing because we could not convert that into a series win. We can only make use of the first Test win if we play good cricket back-to-back.
“We are well-prepared for Colombo, we know that we cannot repeat the same mistakes again. The weather in Colombo will be hot, so our fitness will be very crucial there.”
The 27-year-old also opened up about Pakistan’s victory at Galle and stated that how difficult it is to bat there.
“We won a crucial match in Galle, no doubt about that. We knew that Sri Lanka will use an aggressive approach in the last inning so that is why I decided to go for a counter-attack instead of playing dot balls,” Imam added.
“It would be completely unfair if I do not mention Saud Shakeel and Agha Salman. They got us back in the game during the first innings.
“Galle’s wicket during the fourth innings is just unpredictable. No one knows how the pitch will behave you have to be very lucky and indeed, I got lucky as well.”
The left-handed batter also revealed Pakistan’s preparation before the start of the series. He said that the team prepared on spin wickets.
“During our camp in Pakistan, we practised on spin wickets. We practised not to play dot balls so that we can reach a decent total.”
The Babar Azam-led unit won the first Test in Galle by four wickets to take a 1-0 lead in the two-match series.
The win was Pakistan’s 10th — in 28 matches — in Sri Lanka, putting them ahead of India (nine wins in 24 matches) and England (nine wins in 18 matches) with the most wins in the country.
The visitors are unlikely to make any changes to their playing XI for the second Test and will stick to the combination which helped them win the first Test.