Post match media conference (English)
ABU DHABI: Pakistan skipper Misbah-ul-Haq said the support of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and the team management boosted his confidence, which resulted in him breaking the Test record for the fastest fifty and equalling the quickest century feat against Australia on Sunday.
The 40-year-old said it was PCB's confidence in him that helped him raise his game barely three weeks after withdrawing from the One-Day side for poor form and slow batting.
"I thank the PCB, PCB chairman and the team management for their faith in me and it helped raise my confidence, which is why I was able to raise my game to a level where I have scored the fastest hundred,” said Misbah.
Misbah smashed a 21-ball fifty and a 56-ball hundred on the fourth day of the second Test, which put his team in sight of a 2-0 series win; their first series win in 20 years against Australia.
Misbah's 57-ball 101 lifted Pakistan to 293/3 declared in the second innings, setting a huge 603-run target for Australia who finished the day on a shaky 143/4.
It proved to be a ‘Super Sunday’ for Misbah, often castigated by experts and fans alike for his defensive style of batting.
Misbah said it was a great honour to be bracketed with West Indian legend Sir Viv Richards who hit a 56-ball hundred against England at Antigua in 1986.
"I think it's the biggest honour for me," said Misbah.
"I am nowhere near him but scoring a hundred in a similar number of deliveries is really something that I will remember for the rest of my life."
Misbah broke South African Jacques Kallis’ record of the fastest Test fifty, which he made off 24 balls against Zimbabwe at Cape Town in 2004.
Misbah said he didn't know about the record until a teammate told him.
"Somebody ran to me when I was on 80, informing me that I was just ten balls away from making a record.
"But in either case I was trying to hit every ball and that really couldn’t make any difference. But it is always good to have these sort of records, as it gives you some sort of satisfaction. Scoring 100 is always special for a batsman in a Test and nothing is better than that."
Misbah said ups and downs are common in a sportsman's life.
"It happened a lot in my life even as it happens with every sportsman," said Misbah of his withdrawal from the third One-Day match in Abu Dhabi.
"You have tough times but if you believe in yourself, keep on working hard and stay calm it really pays off. I would like to thank everybody around me for supporting me to come out of that phase."
Misbah felt his quick scoring will help in next year's World Cup, which Australia and New Zealand co-host in February-March.
“It was a really important situation for me considering what happened in the recent past and especially ahead of the World Cup," said Misbah, who scored just nought and five in the two ODIs he played against Australia in the series that Pakistan lost 3-0.
"It was important for me to get back in to form and regain confidence.
"As a unit we have performed and we dearly needed to. This performance is hugely important as we all got the momentum and confidence ahead of the World Cup," added Misbah.
Post match media conference (Urdu)
