Australian head coach Justin Langer feels extremely proud on the team after the players managed to secure a draw from the jaws of defeat in the first Test of two-match Test series against Pakistan at Dubai.
After the game, Langer said, “You guys know that I’m being consistent saying this, win or lose we’ve got to keep making Australians proud of how we go about our business.”
Also read: Sarfraz Ahmed backs his decisions and Yasir Shah
While the Australian team was bundled out for 202 runs from 142/0 in their first innings of this Test match, the team stayed on the crease till the 139.5 overs in the fourth innings to salvage the game by securing a draw.
Also read: Imam-ul-Haq To Miss The Second Test
Talking about the impressive batting performances in the fourth innings, Langer said that he especially worked with the left-handed batsmen.
Langer said, “We just talked about as a left-hander… I’m a batting tragic. I love it. I’ve got a batting coach Hickey, he’s a great bloke but every now and then I just like to get my hands dirty.
“I love talking about batting and especially left-handers. We’re different breed left-handers, we’ve got to get our eyes that way… but anyway… but just recognise you’ve got to have a game plan. They had to recognise that the rough is going to play a part in the game and then work out how you’re going to play it.”
Also read: Usman Khawaja Describes His Marathon Innings In Dubai
Both the openers performed brilliantly in both the innings. The openers – debutant Aaron Finch and Usman Khawaja – put 142 and 87 runs partnerships for the first wicket in the second and fourth innings of the match respectively. While Finch scored 62 & 49, the Player of the Match award winner Khawaja scored 85 & 141.
Talking about opening partnership, Langer said, “We’ll talk about the good news story first and that’s Aaron Finch, again I’m so pumped for him. One thing I know in great teams is not just preparation and good spirit, but one of the main building blocks is a really strong opening partnership.”
