Brittle batting remains a concern for Misbah

BRISBANE: Misbah-ul-Haq was a relieved man on Sunday when his team survived in a low-scoring thriller against Zimbabwe to stay alive in the World Cup.
But he was also a concerned man and declared that Pakistan will have to bring a massive improvement in their batting if they are to come at par with the top teams at the World Cup.
“Our batting remains a major concern because we are not scoring enough runs,” he told reporters here at Gabba after Pakistan pulled off their first win of the tournament — a tense 20-run victory against Zimbabwe.
Misbah heaped praise on his pace duo of Mohammad Irfan and Wahab Riaz, stressing that the two were vital in helping Pakistan defend a modest total of 235.
Earlier, Zimbabwe’s Brendon Taylor rued a missed opportunity to score an upset win against one of the world’s top teams.
He said that Zimbabwe’s batters threw their wickets away.
“We found ways to get out at crucial periods, some soft dismissals, as well. That’s been a major downfall for us in the last four games, crucial periods when batters have needed to get through those initial periods, and finding ways to get out.
“We certainly did target this match and we felt that half the job was done particularly well, restricting them to 235. But they came out the first 15 overs and made it pretty difficult for us and bowled some heavy balls, and it was difficult to score, but it needed a partnership, and unfortunately 50s or 30 partnerships, they’re not going to get you over the line. It was extremely difficult to comprehend this loss.
Taylor was all praise for Mohammad Irfan.
“Irfan showed his class today and we expected he would come out the way he did. I felt it’s easier said than done but possibly maybe could have left the ball a little bit better. I think we were playing the balls that shouldn’t have been played, but he does make it a handful for you, and that’s why he’s a world-class performer. They bowled with a bit of pace and a bit of bounce that we’re not really used to back home with our wickets being a little bit slower. It was a good challenge, but again, some experienced players not kicking on, and probably be taking a bit more responsibility.
But Taylor said that it was Wahab Riaz who turned the momentum in Pakistan’s favour with a brilliant fifty.
“He (Wahab)is a tough competitor and he fought really hard. I think you’ve also got to give credit to Misbah. He’s the glue of their innings. He’s batted a number of times when he batted for a long period of time, and he created partnerships, which partnerships we didn’t have. That was the difference.”