Whole team deserves credit for win: Sarfraz Nawaz

Former cricketer impressed by determination showed in first Test

KARACHI: Two big hits from Pakistan Test captain Misbahul Haq was all that was needed for the visitors to register a comfortable seven-wicket win over West Indies in the first of the three-match series and former Test cricketer Sarfraz Nawaz is all-praise for the winning side.

Spinner Yasir Shah was the star of the show as he finished with figures of 6-63 in the second innings as Pakistan restricted the hosts to 152 and required just 32 runs to win.

And Nawaz praised the overall effort of the team. “The win is a joint effort of the team as in the first innings [Muhammad] Amir took six wickets and then good batting shows by Misbah, Younus [Khan] and Sarfraz Ahmed laid the foundation for the win,” Nawaz told The Express Tribune.

He lauded Amir for his breathtaking spell in the first innings and said that it was his bowling which gave the visitors an advantage in the first Test. “Amir had a brilliant innings while other bowlers also supported him, and they put the pressure on the hosts from the start. Although they did allow West Indies to get into the game in the first innings, they made up in the second,” he said.

Nawaz was extremely impressed by Yasir’s performance in the second innings and said that the spinner learnt from the mistakes he made in the first innings and made amends in the second.

“The way Yasir bowled in the second innings was exceptional. He used the turn of the pitch extremely well which he wasn’t able to do in the first innings; to be honest, he must have taken more wickets in the first innings than the two he picked up,” he said.

Nawaz further added that new bowler Muhammad Abbas has also bowled well in his debut match and both the wickets he took were off great deliveries. “It is good to see some new bowlers coming into the team; this will help them and the team grow,” he said.

Talking about Younus Khan’s 10,000 runs, Nawaz said that Younus is a rare breed as there are only a few players who play with such dedication and determination. “His focus was always on cricket that is why he was able to achieve this milestone. This is a great achievement in the life of a Test cricketer and especially for a player who is from a team who has not been playing many Test at home,” he said. “He has made each and every Pakistani proud as now even a Pakistani player is featured in the list of players who have made 10,000 runs.”

Nawaz also showered his praise on Misbah’s captaincy and said the 42-year-old is great leader. “His decision of bowling first after winning the toss was a good decision. Misbah has always led from the front and to see him finish off the game in style was also great to watch,” he said.

Nawaz, however, advised the team to be a bit more aggressive going into the second Test which starts on April 30. “They should play a bit fast in the second match and include more spinners in the squad, especially Shadab Khan who has been playing really well,” he said.