Special Correspondent
Pakistan’s left-arm spinner Noman Ali praised his side’s collective bowling discipline and highlighted the importance of teamwork and tactical control after Pakistan put South Africa on the back foot at the end of Day 2 of the first Test at the Gaddafi Stadium.
Speaking to the media after play, Noman, who returned impressive figures of 4 for 68, credited both the spin partnership with Sajid Khan and the team’s cohesive bowling plan that restricted South Africa to 216 for 6, still trailing by 162 runs.
“He (Sajid) also bowled well. Some of his reviews were a bit off, but the effort is that if he gets an out, we support him. If I get an out, we support Sajid,” Noman said. “We move forward together, and we try to bowl in partnerships as well.”
‘Pitch getting slower, low bounce to play key role’
Reflecting on the evolving surface, Noman observed that the pitch had slowed down and was beginning to offer inconsistent bounce.
“The conditions are a little on the slow side. Going forward, I feel it’s going to have a bit more low bounce,” he explained. “The main thing is to try and get as much of a lead as possible, which will benefit us in the third innings, so that the target we set in the fourth innings is a good one.”
Pakistan, who earlier posted 378 runs in their first innings, were in a strong position to push for a lead. Noman praised the contributions of the batters—particularly Salman Ali Agha (93), Mohammad Rizwan (75), Shan Masood (76), and Imam-ul-Haq (93)—for setting up a solid total.
“We tried to set a target of 350 plus, and I think we achieved that,” he said. “They played very good partnerships, which allowed us to apply pressure later with the ball. In the end, if you look at the last session, we took six wickets, which was the key.”
‘Minor on-field incident blown out of proportion’
Noman also played down a brief on-field exchange with South African wicketkeeper Kyle Verreynne, clarifying that the situation was minor and quickly resolved.
“It wasn’t much; it was a normal out. One of our players said something, and he [Verreynne] took it a bit personally, even though it wasn’t said to him,” he remarked with a smile.
‘Our goal is a lead of 100-plus’
Looking ahead to Day 3, Noman outlined Pakistan’s immediate goal—pressing for a sizeable lead to dictate the remainder of the match.
“Our effort will be to dismiss them for the least amount of runs possible and take the biggest lead possible,” he said. “I think our target is to take a lead of 100-plus, which will benefit us in the third innings.”
The seasoned spinner also credited bowling coach Abdul Rehman for his role in refining the team’s spin strategy and focus.
“The goal was simple: not to get too excited, to hit your areas, and we tried to do that,” he said. “We’ve been working with him for the last three or four months, and thank God, we’re seeing the results.”
With South Africa still 162 runs behind and six wickets down, Pakistan will aim to tighten their grip on the match as the pitch continues to deteriorate. The spinners, led by Noman and Sajid, are expected to play a decisive role in helping Pakistan secure a commanding first-innings advantage in the ongoing World Test Championship cycle.
