Series win against WI to boost Greenshirts’ morale: Misbah

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will be taking on West Indies in the five-match T20 series as an attempt to regain confidence following their unsuccessful bid in England that saw the Greenshirts losing both T20 and One-Day series.

In a virtual media talk from West Indies Friday, team head coach Misbahul Haq rued missing the opportunity to grab the T20 series in England.

“We were close to winning it but just missed due to middle and lower-middle-order failure. We are facing problems with these positions as we are not getting the required results. Secondly, the bowlers who performed outstandingly at home and against South Africa in South Africa could not find the rhythm to perfection in the series.

“When you miss such close matches that do not mean that your decisions were not up to the mark but that means you were lacking somewhere. That is exactly what happens in our case. We won matches by chasing the target against tougher teams. In England, we were facing problems on three fronts. The surprising element was that some bowlers were not up to the mark. However, the main weakness has been middle and lower-middle.”

Misbah termed the ODI whitewash as an outcome of the Pakistan Super League (PSL).

“Every player was coming out of the T20 cricket straight into ODI. The difference was too big to be filled. Ultimately we lost the series.”

To ‘The News’ question that he (Misbah) promised to come up with the final shape of the team for the T20 World Cup at the end of the series against England, he admitted saying so.

“Yes, I said that but I think we have to wait for some more time. Our nine to ten positions are almost confirmed. We are facing problems in the middle and lower-middle order. There we are not getting the required results and that is becoming a weakness.”

Pakistan team head coach sees a golden opportunity to boost the team’s confidence during the series against West Indies.

“It is a big opportunity for all team members to confirm their places on the team. Wickets here in West Indies are slow-more or less the same we find in UAE and the sub-continent. I hope that since we are coming out of the T20 series and the series against West Indies will be a sort of continuation we would be in a better frame of mind to perform. West Indies are a tough T20 side, yet we have a good opportunity to beat them and boost our morale ahead of the T20 World Cup.”

“You cannot say that after watching a newcomer for just a few minutes. He played a few balls only. We will give him more chances. Hopefully, he would prove his potential.”

Misbah was excited about having the services of three-dimensional players. “We have the likes of Hasan, Shadab, Imad, and Nawaz. They all are three-dimensional players. We always play with three spinners. Hafeez, Imad, and Shadab were there in England during the first two T20 matches. We almost had 12 overs of spin there and I think those were enough.”

When asked about the Covid-19 impacts on players, Misbah said that the sporting world had no other option but to go ahead with the sports activities. “There are problems but we have to live with it.”