SHARJAH: Pakistan Test and ODI captain Misbah-ul-Haq praised New Zealand Test side's resilience in bouncing back from the 0-1 deficit in the series.
Speaking at the end of the series and a 1-1 result, Misbah lauded the effort of New Zealand side especially its captain Brendon McCullum..
"I think especially the way Brendon McCullum performed for them. He has been scoring big runs and in these sort of conditons even that 200 made a big difference in the game and also they got really good bowling side especially Tim Southee bowled. In these sort of conditions even the way they bowled with the new ball and reverse swing and that is the key and now they have found two good spinners who can really bowl well in these sort of conditions and the kind of figures their off-spinner had really put them in command . So this is the kind of performance is needed for a team to perform every day as they have got good all-rounders.
"They have got good seam bowlers and good spinners and their batting is really doing well even in these conditions after the first Test match they really put good show in batting. These components always make a good team,'' added Misbah.
The Pakistan skipper rued the collapse in both innings as his side surrendered the pole position they enjoyed at the end of the first day's play.
"I think in the first innings after that collapse everybody just gave up and I cannot understand and maybe whatever happened after that tragedy you could say took the focus away from the batters and soft dismissals and first session especially put us really on the back foot and after they way New Zealand batted. In the second innings it is always pressure when you are so much behind the game and you know that you have to almost bat two days and opposition already 350 runs ahead of you and then pressure do damage to the teams and I think they bowled really well the new ball especially those three wickets pushed us back and after that we could not really recover,'' opined Misbah.
But despite the loss, Misbah was happy to count the positives from the series for the side.
But despite the loss, Misbah was happy to count the positives from the series for the side.
"I think it is very unfortunate nobody just wants to lose the last Test especially in this season but it happens in cricket we just got a lot of positives during these five Test matches and a lot of batsmen almost getting hundreds in these five Test matches and even new bowlers coming and taking wickets for Pakistan and proving themselves at international level .Obviously we want to improve really the kind of performance we were just giving just take this Test match out and the way we were playing before that if we really continued like that we worked hard as a team and as players we can take Pakistan to the top."
Misbah said he was positive despite a 339-run deficit that his batsmen will put up a fight. But that was not to be.
Misbah said he was positive despite a 339-run deficit that his batsmen will put up a fight. But that was not to be.
"We were confident and the way our bstsmen were confident due to the form we were in we were confident as last four test match we did really well but this kind of pitch we did not expect to get out so quickly. We needed partnership the way like Sarfraz and Asad Shafiq played and the way Rahat Ali resisted if there was partnership from the top things would have been different," said Misbah.
The Pakistan captain since 2010, Misbah denied that team was complacent in any way after the first Test match at Abu Dhabi.
"I don’t think so it was any case of these things. We were pretty much professional and focused but I think credit should be given to the New Zealand team they really improved in the last two Test matches, especially in the second Test they came out and put us under pressure and even after that in this Test even after scoring 350 in the first innings the kind of batting they did I think that really put them ahead of us in the Test match and that was some sort of special batting by Brendon McCullum and Williamson and that was amazing to say they were almost scoring at a run rate of over six so that really push us on the back foot and took the game away from us," said Misbah.
