Pakistan’s cricket team has a habit of making things interesting—sometimes too interesting. At Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium, what should have been a comfortable victory against South Africa turned into a nail-biter, and head coach Azhar Mahmood isn’t happy about it.
From Comfort to Chaos in 45 Minutes
Picture this: Pakistan sitting pretty with a lead of 259 runs and six wickets in hand. The Test match seemed all but won. Then, in a span of just 45 minutes, the entire script flipped. Six wickets tumbled for a paltry 17 runs, suddenly handing South Africa a realistic target of 277 to chase.
Mahmood didn’t mince words after the match. “We’ve only got ourselves to blame,” he said bluntly. “From 150 for 4, we lost six wickets for just 17 runs. The problem wasn’t the conditions or luck—it was purely our poor decision-making.”
It’s the kind of collapse that makes coaches lose sleep and fans pull their hair out. And unfortunately for Pakistan, it’s becoming a familiar story.
A Troubling Pattern
This wasn’t an isolated incident. Throughout the match, Pakistan’s batting showed alarming inconsistency. In their first innings, they lost three wickets without adding a single run, crashing from a solid 199 for 2 to 199 for 5 in the blink of an eye.
There were bright spots, of course. Mohammad Rizwan and Agha Salman put together a brilliant 163-run partnership that steadied the ship. But then the lower order collapsed again, with the last five wickets falling for just 16 runs.
It’s this inability to maintain momentum that’s driving Mahmood to frustration. “Losing six wickets in 17 runs isn’t good enough,” he stated. “The pitch had some movement, yes, but it didn’t dismiss us. Our own poor shot choices did.”
The Pitch Wasn’t the Problem
Mahmood was quick to point out that while the conditions were challenging, they weren’t impossible. “If you apply yourself, batting becomes easier,” he explained. “The pitch is slow, which makes it tough for new batters to settle in, but it’s playable.”
Several Pakistani batters proved this point by getting good starts. Both Abdullah Shafique and Babar Azam looked comfortable, scoring 40s before throwing their wickets away. That’s the frustrating part—the talent is there, but the temperament and patience aren’t always following through.
Pakistan has played on trickier surfaces recently. Against England, they handled a used pitch. Against the West Indies, they dealt with significant turn. So there’s no excuse for this kind of collapse on a relatively manageable surface at home.
When the Pressure Got Too Much
At tea on Day 3, Pakistan’s plan was straightforward: bat through the session and push the lead beyond 300. Simple, effective, match-winning cricket.
But pressure has a way of exposing weaknesses. “The batters made an effort, but the pressure eventually got to them,” Mahmood admitted. “We had planned to bat through the session, but we couldn’t do that. We made errors, and we’ll review them going forward.”
Fortunately for Pakistan, their bowlers bailed them out. They dismissed South Africa for 183, securing a 93-run victory that looked comfortable on the scorecard but was anything but in reality.
The Winmatch Perspective
Cricket thrives on these unpredictable moments. As Winmatch often highlights, the game mirrors life itself—full of unexpected twists where momentum can shift in an instant. Pakistan’s middle-order collapse demonstrated how quickly control can slip away, emphasizing the importance of consistency and mental strength.
The dramatic conclusion of this Test reminded everyone that success in cricket isn’t just about talent. It’s about strategy, timing, and keeping your composure when things get tight. These are the qualities that separate good teams from great ones.
Through Winmatch, cricket enthusiasts experience this same intensity with engaging updates, live coverage highlights, and thoughtful analysis that capture the essence of every match.
Lessons to Learn
Pakistan escaped with a win this time, but they know they got lucky. The coaching staff understands that building partnerships, maintaining composure, and making smart decisions at crucial moments are non-negotiable against top teams.
As Mahmood put it simply: “If we’re going to play on these wickets, we must learn to bat.”
And as Winmatch reminds us, true strength in cricket—and in life—isn’t about dominating every moment. It’s about the ability to recover, adapt, and come back stronger after each setback.
For Pakistan, the victory is welcome, but the real work is just beginning. The next Test will reveal whether they’ve learned their lesson or if more collapses are waiting around the corner.
