'There's No Doubt Pakistan Can Beat Australia Here In Australia', Says Mohammad Hafeez After Perth Loss

Mohammad Hafeez: Despite the huge defeat Pakistan faced in the opening Test against Australia, team director Mohammad Hafeez believes his side possess the talent to "triumph over Australia in Australia" while also adding that the team "must execute skills when required".

Australia thrashed Pakistan by 360 runs in the first Test at the Optus Stadium in Perth on Sunday, giving the hosts’ a 1-0 lead in the three-game series.

The hosts set Pakistan a massive target of 450 runs after declaring on 233/5 in the second innings. The visitors did not survive long in the chase and were dismissed for 89 in only 30.2 overs on day four of the Test, giving Australia a 360-run win.

"I've seen during our preparation the amount of talent these guys have. There's no doubt that they can beat Australia here in Australia," Hafeez said as quoted by Cricbuzz. "We couldn't do that execution-wise. The plan was there and we prepared accordingly. I still believe that as a team, Pakistan can beat Australia here in Australia, but we must execute our skills when required," he added.

The team director further lamented his team's performance in the series opener, highlighting tactical errors and an inability to execute according to their plans.

"We couldn't execute our skills. We made plans for the team, but unfortunately, as a team, we couldn't execute our plans. Obviously, the guys wanted to, but they never applied themselves, to be honest. As a team, we made a couple of tactical errors. There were certain situations where we could have dominated. We were prepared, but our execution wasn't great," said Hafeez.