Pakistan vs Australia 2018: We Will Come Back Harder - Mickey Arthur

Pakistan’s head coach Mickey Arthur is confident Pakistan will come back harder after the first Test match. Arthur believes Australia will be a more confident unit after they were able to draw the first Test match at Dubai. Pakistan was ahead in the whole match. However, Australia was able to put a great fight to draw the thrilling match. Usman Khawaja and Tim Paine were able to come up with match-saving knocks for the visitors.

Therefore, Australia will like to take more confidence after their good show in the first Test match. Meanwhile, Pakistan would have liked to apply the finishing touches to the first match. In fact, the tourists were able to dodge the defeat in an emphatic fashion, as their batsmen showed great resistance.

Australia was able to show the resistance.

“Of course Australia will be dangerous after the fight they put up, no doubt about that,” said Arthur while talking to AFP. “But I am confident that we are playing good enough cricket and we will come harder.”

Meanwhile, Mickey Arthur is disappointed that his team could cross the finishing line despite dominating the opening Test match. Thus, he expects his team to comeback harder.

“For me, it was really disappointing that we did not cross the line,” he said. “But the good thing for us is that it has hurt the players as if we have lost and that for me is a good sign.

“It shows that the boys are getting mentally tough and maturing and do not settle for second best any more and that culture we want to create is getting through to our players and we will be raring to go in the second Test.”

In fact, Arthur believes Pakistan lacked the knockout punch on the final day of the Test match. The hosts could not execute their plans with the ball in the second innings.

“We certainly got some good runs in the first innings, golden runs as there were some good knocks. We then bowled well in the first innings but not very good in the second innings on a fifth-day pitch,” said Mickey Arthur, who praised Australia’s battling display.

“I think we have got to hand it to them, on a day five wicket with Yasir Shah and Abbas — two world class bowlers in your attack — we backed ourselves to win the Test.

The second Test match between Australia and Pakistan will take place at Abu Dhabi from 16th October.