Capitalise on opportunities, Misbah tells his players ahead of England tour

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Test captain Misbahul Haq wants his charges to press hard the opportunities that they get in the series against England.

In an exclusive interview with ‘The News’ days ahead of the team’s departure for Hampshire, Misbah told this correspondent that Sri Lanka could have made the series more interesting against England had they pressed hard the chances coming their way during the course of the series.

“I think Sri Lanka had their moments in the series. Had they capitalised on the opportunities, they could have made the series more interesting and competitive. They reduced England to 85 for 5 in the first innings of the first Test, but then they allowed Bairstow to take the match away from them. The same thing happened in the second Test where Moin Ali’s knock made all the difference. I want my players to go for the kill,” he said.

Misbah admitted that his first outing as a Test player and Test captain in England would be challenging. “The series against England this summer is yet another challenge for me as player and as captain. What I want is to achieve my targets and to give my best on both fronts. When you are focused and have worked hard for the purpose, I think half the job is done,” he said.

“We are coming out of long training camps and are to train further at Hampshire prior to the start of the Test series. I believe the team is ready for the series. Obviously camps here have left good impact on players and they are now fitter and in good frame of mind to take on the challenge,” he added.

Misbah said the openers must work double hours during early days in England to cope up with the situation. “There is no other way to negotiate the seam and swing than to make extra effort on such tracks. Our openers have done that in camps here and I want them continue that after landing in England. Extra hours in nets would definitely help them,” said Misbah who has never been part of Pakistan’s Test squad in England.

“I don’t agree with the notion that for new players, the tour to England will be a challenge. Instead I see it as an opportunity for them to emerge as stars. When we look back at history, we know well that players performing on their debut tour in England usually become stars. I would like the new players to wrest the opportunity and become stars. Performance in England would surely boost their confidence and they would feel easier to perform in less challenging series,” said Misbah, Pakistan’s most successful Test captain.

He spoke highly of Pakistan’s middle-order. “We have got a solid middle-order. Younis Khan is the most experienced of us all. Asad Shafiq has got a technique to come up good in pressure situation as he did in South Africa,” he said.

Asked if Mohammad Aamir would be under pressure, he said: “He is a confident bowler who has the guts to deliver in every given situation. He is mentally tough and strong enough to handle pressure. I am confident that he will be a match winner.”

He advised his players to focus on performance. “If you are focused and totally committed to achieve your targets, there are always good chances of success. Anything happening off the field should not divert out attention,” he said.