Head coach of Pakistan’s cricket team Azhar Mahmood has said that the national team has a golden opportunity to win the ongoing Test series against the ICC Test champions, South Africa.

Speaking at separate press conferences in Lahore ahead of the second Test, which begins tomorrow (Monday) in Rawalpindi, both Azhar Mahmood and South Africa’s captain Aiden Markram shared their thoughts on the ongoing series in Pakistan.

Azhar said his side had a strong chance to secure victory against a world-class opponent.

“It’s a great opportunity to win the series against the ICC Test champions,” he remarked.

Commenting on the conditions, the head coach said the Lahore pitch had offered assistance to both batters and bowlers.

“We’ll finalise the playing XI for the Rawalpindi Test after inspecting the pitch tomorrow,” he added.

Meanwhile, South African skipper Aiden Markram acknowledged the challenge of playing in Pakistan’s conditions.

“We have assessed the pitch — playing here is always a challenge,” he said.

Markram noted that his team had discussed Pakistan’s spin options during their meeting.

“We talked about Nauman Ali and Sajid Khan. We know South Africa will face a tough test against them in the next match,” he said.

The Proteas captain also confirmed that spinner Keshav Maharaj is fit and will be available for the Rawalpindi Test.

The second Test between Pakistan and South Africa will begin tomorrow.