Azhar seeks to regain form, Karunaratne remains optimistic.

KARACHI -- Azhar Ali may not have scored big runs this year but the Pakistan captain still held hopes for his side despite being handicapped by a largely inexperienced bowling line-up going into the 'must-win' final Test against Sri Lanka here at the National Stadium.

In the last 12 months, the 34-year-old right-hander has mustered just 157 from six Tests with at a dismal return of 14.27 from 11 innings. During this dreadful period - dating from last year's Boxing Day Test against South Africa in Centurion - Azhar has made only three scores between 36 and 39, while there have been seven single-digit innings from his bat sandwiched in the brace of 36.

Azhar downplayed his lack of runs during Wednesday's pre-match media conference while saying he had been middling the ball nicely during the net sessions.

'I think this talk [run of poor scores] has been gaining momentum every time I come for the presser. But I felt good during the first Test [he made 36] on that last day in Rawalpindi,' Azhar said. 'I'm aware of the fact that I've not been able to get big knocks under my belt. This can happen to anybody at any phase of the career. Obviously, this can disturb you mentally if you aren't getting runs in big chunks.

'In the larger context, the team does feel the pressure if a player is not contributing either with the bat or ball. Personally, I felt in good nick during the first Test until I lost my wicket to a delivery that suddenly stopped in flight and got me in a trap.

'I'm looking forward to a big innings here [in Karachi] because the pitch at a glance looks full of runs. The conditions in Karachi are just about perfect for batting in ideal weather for cricket, which is great to see after the chilly week in Rawalpindi last week.'

Azhar pointed at inexperienced bowling line-up as the reason behind Pakistan's failure to pick 20 wickets in a Test match.

'This has been a major worry for Pakistan in recent matches. Most of the bowlers we now have are still going through the learning phase of their careers. The transition [from domestic] to international cricket is never easy, especially if they [bowlers] are greenhorns.

'However, there is no lack of effort because guys like Shaheen Shah Afridi and Nasim Shah are constantly clocking 140-plus despite the conditions being extremely challenging at times,' the skipper underlined.

'But having said that, I believe there is no shortage of energy and enthusiasm from these youngsters. And as they go along...