Cricket: The team is confident, says Misbah

Pakistan captain hails bowlers’ show after innings-win in first Test against Bangladesh.

CHITTAGONG: Pakistan captain Misbahul Haq hailed his bowlers’ performance after the side clinched the first match against Bangladesh by an innings and 184 runs and kept intact its record of remaining unbeaten in a Test series in 2011.

Left-arm spinner Abdur Rehman grabbed four wickets while off-break bowler Saeed Ajmal and fast-bowler Aizaz Cheema shared four between them to help Pakistan dismiss the hosts, trailing by 459 runs, for 275 in the second-innings after lunch on the penultimate day of the Test.

Rehman the main spinner, says captain

Misbah praised the bowling unit and was pleased with the way everyone was chipping in.

“Rehman is our main spinner and he’s been performing well since he came into the side,” said Misbah. “We are not relying only on Rehman or Ajmal since Umar Gul, Cheema and Mohammad Hafeez are also bowling well. The team is more confident now and the batsmen are also more experienced.”

One of the key factors in Pakistan’s impressive run has been the captaincy of Misbah but the veteran chose to credit the team.

“I think if the team is doing well then credit goes to everyone, including the captain. But the main thing is the players. If they aren’t performing then the captain can’t do anything. They are putting in their efforts and fulfilling their responsibilities. That’s why the team is winning.”

Hosts unable to put up a fight

Bangladesh resumed on 134 for four but lost former captain Shakibal Hasan (51) before opener Nazimuddin, holding up his end, added 47 with Mushfiqur Rahim.

However, Rehman and company ensured Bangladesh did not survive for long as the hosts lost their 62nd Test, having played 72, and gain a 1-0 lead for Pakistan in the two-match series.

Rahim feels sorry for crowd

Bangladesh captain Rahim, who singled out batting as the main failure throughout the tour that saw them lose the one-off Twenty20 and the One-Day International series 3-0, said the first-innings failure sealed their fate.

“It’s difficult to come back when you lose five wickets for 47 in the first-innings, but we fought back well in the second,” said Rahim.

The second and final Test starts in Dhaka on Saturday.

Misbahul Haq

“I think if the team is doing well then credit goes to everyone, including the captain. But the main thing is the players. If they aren’t performing, the captain can’t do anything.”

Mushfiqur Rahim

“It’s difficult to come back when you lose five wickets for 47 in the first-innings. We feel sorry for the crowd since they come and support us every time, even though we have not won often.”

Younus Khan

“I’ll give Misbah 100 per cent marks on captaincy because he has the respect of the team. Everybody listens to him and if you want to give him advice he takes it with an open heart.”

Stuart Law

“We have talented cricketers. We just have a mental block somewhere. We tried to talk about the longer we bat, the easier it gets. I think Nazimuddin looked very good and very comfortable.”

Published in The Express Tribune, December 13^th, 2011.