Abdullah719
T20I Captain
- Joined
- Apr 16, 2013
- Runs
- 44,825
"Pakistan should have belief that they have the bowling to surprise England" : Misbah-ul-Haq
Misbah-ul-Haq speaking on TV
Sarfraz's innings
The circumstances were difficult for Sarfraz. Wickets were falling and it was all about him, he had to score runs for Pakistan to win and he responded well. He handled the pressure well and showed good temperament, that'll help him as a captain and it will also Pakistan going forward in Test cricket etc. because he will likely be the captain in all formats.
Fitness and fielding
Pakistan have been working hard on fitness and fielding but I think we're still behind other top teams and it's a massive factor in pressure games. Another big factor in these situations is mental strength.
SL and Pak under pressure
I think both teams were under pressure which is why they made so many mistakes. Pakistan was very nervy with the bat and if they want to do something against England in the next match, they need to go out there and play with freedom. They need to just go out there and free their minds and play without pressure.
Fakhar Zaman
With time Fakhar needs to learn to play long innings. Pakistan want him in an attacking role, they don't want him to leave balls and play conservatively but once you've got a start and you're dominating the opposition and need four an over then you can think about batting long. If you're batting first or chasing a big target, you can continue in the same manner but otherwise you need to adapt according to the situation. You don't need to be defensive but you can be choosy.
Mohammad Hafeez
Hafeez is struggling and is short of confidence. He isn't timing the ball at all and is just taking too many balls to get going and he can't even middle the ball. In such a situation where expectations are high, question marks are raised and then you play such shots under pressure. It's disappointing for Pakistan and Hafeez, he needed to stay there. It's upto him, he is an experienced player and should know what to do in adverse circumstances. Today he just needed to use his experience, there was no run rate pressure or anything after such a good start. No excuses for such an experienced player to be playing the ball away from his body and pushing at it. He should play the ball late but both Babar and Hafeez got out pushing at the ball.
Junaid Khan
In 2013, Junaid was bowling around 145k and was very effective specially if the ball was reversing with yorkers. But now after the knee injury, he's back in the low to mid 130s so it's important for him to bowl in the right areas. He needs to bowl the nagging length and move the ball off the seam which is key now. One of his specialities today was his control over line and length.
Mohammad Amir
The most important thing for Amir before his ban was he was very young so people weren't used to his bowling. People didn't expect him to be so nippy and get that much swing early on and he got the rewards. But after some time when teams have faced him, he's being analysed a lot and people figure out how to play him. Also when he's returning after 5 years without playing competitive cricket, it'll take some time. ODI cricket has changed a lot in the time he was banned. Nowadays there are improved pitches and batsmen have different mindsets so it's taking him time to adjust. Overall he's improving but finding it hard to take wickets. But he is consistently getting better. His speed is similar but the swing is sometimes there, sometimes it isn't. Conditions can make a difference, such as the white kookaburra ball which hasn't swung much in England.
Criticism after losses
There can be frustration for a Pakistani captain in such situations as former players and media specially after losing an India match make a huge uproar. There was a lot of criticism due to the body language. Sometimes we critics cross the line, we need to remember it's a young team with a new captain. Even our experienced teams have failed in such situations. We need to back the team. Until we don't back them, they won't be able to play freely. After every match, pressure builds on the captain about every mistake. It will happen, he is new. Just see the progress he's made in the last two matches and his captaincy and the team's performance have improved. Give him time, look at Bangladesh, it's taken them 8-9 years to make a team and now they are just starting to get results.
The truth is that we are in need of a lot of improvement. We are far behind top teams in ODI cricket, this is a truth. But criticism shouldn't be over the top and shouldn't demoralise the team. People are just waiting to find something to criticise. Everyone is disappointed including players themselves but in hard times, we need to support them a bit otherwise their performances will worsen. During a tournament, opening fire on a new team with a new captain can put immense pressure on the team.
England vs Pakistan
If Pakistan takes pressure and thinks that England is the favourite and is playing well, then they may not have a chance. They need to think of the way they played against South Africa. Cricket is won on the field, not on paper. No matter how good a team or their batsmen are, it takes one ball to get one batsman out. I think Pakistan have 5-6 bowlers who can deliver those 10 balls. The belief should be there that no matter how strong their batting is, we have the bowling to surprise them and dismiss them. As far as batting goes, we have chased 300 in England against them. But we need to go in with clear heads and have focused minds. We need to forget our doubts, and play according to a plan like we did against South Africa. That's our only chance.
Misbah-ul-Haq speaking on TV
Sarfraz's innings
The circumstances were difficult for Sarfraz. Wickets were falling and it was all about him, he had to score runs for Pakistan to win and he responded well. He handled the pressure well and showed good temperament, that'll help him as a captain and it will also Pakistan going forward in Test cricket etc. because he will likely be the captain in all formats.
Fitness and fielding
Pakistan have been working hard on fitness and fielding but I think we're still behind other top teams and it's a massive factor in pressure games. Another big factor in these situations is mental strength.
SL and Pak under pressure
I think both teams were under pressure which is why they made so many mistakes. Pakistan was very nervy with the bat and if they want to do something against England in the next match, they need to go out there and play with freedom. They need to just go out there and free their minds and play without pressure.
Fakhar Zaman
With time Fakhar needs to learn to play long innings. Pakistan want him in an attacking role, they don't want him to leave balls and play conservatively but once you've got a start and you're dominating the opposition and need four an over then you can think about batting long. If you're batting first or chasing a big target, you can continue in the same manner but otherwise you need to adapt according to the situation. You don't need to be defensive but you can be choosy.
Mohammad Hafeez
Hafeez is struggling and is short of confidence. He isn't timing the ball at all and is just taking too many balls to get going and he can't even middle the ball. In such a situation where expectations are high, question marks are raised and then you play such shots under pressure. It's disappointing for Pakistan and Hafeez, he needed to stay there. It's upto him, he is an experienced player and should know what to do in adverse circumstances. Today he just needed to use his experience, there was no run rate pressure or anything after such a good start. No excuses for such an experienced player to be playing the ball away from his body and pushing at it. He should play the ball late but both Babar and Hafeez got out pushing at the ball.
Junaid Khan
In 2013, Junaid was bowling around 145k and was very effective specially if the ball was reversing with yorkers. But now after the knee injury, he's back in the low to mid 130s so it's important for him to bowl in the right areas. He needs to bowl the nagging length and move the ball off the seam which is key now. One of his specialities today was his control over line and length.
Mohammad Amir
The most important thing for Amir before his ban was he was very young so people weren't used to his bowling. People didn't expect him to be so nippy and get that much swing early on and he got the rewards. But after some time when teams have faced him, he's being analysed a lot and people figure out how to play him. Also when he's returning after 5 years without playing competitive cricket, it'll take some time. ODI cricket has changed a lot in the time he was banned. Nowadays there are improved pitches and batsmen have different mindsets so it's taking him time to adjust. Overall he's improving but finding it hard to take wickets. But he is consistently getting better. His speed is similar but the swing is sometimes there, sometimes it isn't. Conditions can make a difference, such as the white kookaburra ball which hasn't swung much in England.
Criticism after losses
There can be frustration for a Pakistani captain in such situations as former players and media specially after losing an India match make a huge uproar. There was a lot of criticism due to the body language. Sometimes we critics cross the line, we need to remember it's a young team with a new captain. Even our experienced teams have failed in such situations. We need to back the team. Until we don't back them, they won't be able to play freely. After every match, pressure builds on the captain about every mistake. It will happen, he is new. Just see the progress he's made in the last two matches and his captaincy and the team's performance have improved. Give him time, look at Bangladesh, it's taken them 8-9 years to make a team and now they are just starting to get results.
The truth is that we are in need of a lot of improvement. We are far behind top teams in ODI cricket, this is a truth. But criticism shouldn't be over the top and shouldn't demoralise the team. People are just waiting to find something to criticise. Everyone is disappointed including players themselves but in hard times, we need to support them a bit otherwise their performances will worsen. During a tournament, opening fire on a new team with a new captain can put immense pressure on the team.
England vs Pakistan
If Pakistan takes pressure and thinks that England is the favourite and is playing well, then they may not have a chance. They need to think of the way they played against South Africa. Cricket is won on the field, not on paper. No matter how good a team or their batsmen are, it takes one ball to get one batsman out. I think Pakistan have 5-6 bowlers who can deliver those 10 balls. The belief should be there that no matter how strong their batting is, we have the bowling to surprise them and dismiss them. As far as batting goes, we have chased 300 in England against them. But we need to go in with clear heads and have focused minds. We need to forget our doubts, and play according to a plan like we did against South Africa. That's our only chance.
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