Match Analysis

Azhar focused on making starts count

Azhar Ali's hundred helped Pakistan boss over Australia on the opening day of the second Test but, more importantly, it showed that he was focused on ensuring his starts were not wasted

Azhar Ali was nearly dropped from the Test team after the series against South Africa in the UAE last year and it took Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq almost 40 minutes to convince the selection panel to "keep faith in him". He survived the axe and was picked for the Tests against Sri Lanka but missed the first two games before returning for the third match in Sharjah, where he scored a match-winning 103 off 137 to help Pakistan pull off a stunning chase.
Since that innings, Azhar has looked assured at the No. 3 spot in Pakistan's line-up, a crucial one given the inconsistent opening performances. Some of that assurance was evident in his sixth Test hundred on the first day of the second Test in Abu Dhabi that helped Pakistan post 304 for 2.
In 67 Test innings, Azhar has scored a century every 11 innings and while that number may not be extraordinary by international standards, it is important in the context of the team, as it suggests reliability.
Azhar has the skills needed to occupy the crease and frustrate the opposition but his ability to convert half-centuries into centuries has been a talking point in his four-year career. His maiden Test hundred came in his 15th Test, against Sri Lanka in 2011, and he had scored 10 fifties, including two scores of more than 90, before that. Since the hundred against Sri Lanka in Sharjah, he has scored 30, 41, 32, 10, 53, 30.
Against Australia in Abu Dhabi, he was dropped twice, while batting on 34 and 46, and had he not kept his cool and negotiated the bowling well, he would have missed out on another hundred. He batted out 223 balls at the strike rate of 45.29, higher than his career strike rate of 39.12, and shared an unbeaten stand of 208 for the third wicket with Younis Khan.
"I do feel the fact that I should be converting my double figures into big hundreds," he said. "That is always in my mind but you can only try and give your best. I have an example of Younis who has a good record in converting [starts] into big hundreds so I have this thing in my mind and as a player I do realise and I am focused for it.
"All the senior players and coaches always advise me to convert my innings into big ones once I get settled. After Sri Lanka, I was trying to get myself focused as I know there is something missing because I wasn't making it big. So, in the last two or three Test matches, I am feeling comfortable and today when I crossed 50, I had exactly the same thing in my mind and hence I managed to build it and scored in three figures. But you know we can only try; I can assure that I do put my efforts."
He struggled a little initially and then had to contend with a back spasm in the second session. While Younis, who batted at No. 4, scored his century in 128 balls, Azhar took 223 deliveries to get to the milestone.
"It's not like I was struggling with the flow but sometimes you need to take time and play according to your plan," he said. "I picked up a spasm in my back right after the lunch break and struggled a lot until the tea break. But I got ample support from the dressing room as the physiotherapist was assisting me at regular intervals. So every run I was running made me better."
In the 29 partnerships that Azhar and Younis have shared, the pair have had four century stands and as many fifty stands at an average of 51.53 and Azhar credited Younis for being an 'example' for him.
"I can't describe in words. As you know, he scored three back-to-back hundreds which is great to get motivated," he said. "It is always great to have a partnership with him as I feel really comfortable playing with him. He guides and executes the game as well from the other end, giving me a sense of comfort.
"And scoring against Australia is a big achievement. As you know, a few days ago he was telling Ahmed [Shehzad] that it took him 12 [14] years to score a hundred against Australia, so don't let the opportunity go. So this entire thing was a source of motivation that actually worked in our case. This innings is going give a big support to my team as we are here to win our series and that is our only focus.
"It's a good sign that youngsters are taking responsibility and scoring runs. The way Ahmed responded in the first Test, and now I have scored a hundred, I think as a team we are going forward and if the youngsters are responding and scoring runs, it's good for the team."
Azhar made his Test debut against Australia at Lord's in 2010, coming into the line-up for the series following the retirement of Mohammad Yousuf and the exclusion of Younis Khan. He scored 16 and 42 on debut before making an impact in the next Test at Headingley, scoring 51 in a thrilling chase that helped Pakistan break a 15-year losing streak against Australia. Azhar was happy to be among the runs against the side once again.
"Batting against a tough opponent is always great," he said. "Australia are the tough side to play against and whenever you score against such a team, it always make you happy and you always enjoy every run scored against the tough bowlers. I always feel better after scoring against tough bowlers because the runs mean a lot to me."

Umar Farooq is ESPNcricinfo's Pakistan correspondent. @kalson