And so it begins: Complacency the biggest hurdle for confident Pakistan
After defeating Australia, Misbah's side welcomes World Cup’s other host to the UAE
KARACHI:
Pakistan will have momentum on their side when they take on New Zealand in the first match of the three-Test series on Sunday at the Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi.
It was at this very venue that Pakistan defeated the Aussies by 356 runs in their last outing, their biggest ever victory in terms of runs, to whitewash the visitors 2-0 and register their first ever series win over Australia in 20 years.
A win will see Misbahul Haq become Pakistan’s most successful Test captain as he currently sits level with Imran Khan and Javed Miandad with 14 victories as captain.
New Zealand, meanwhile, have not won a series against Pakistan since 1985, while Pakistan have not lost a home series to the Kiwis in 45 years.
Don’t get complacent
The Australians, ranked second, have been defeated. Now the same squad faces a relatively easier opponent in the Kiwis. However, former Test cricketer and ex-chief selector Iqbal Qasim has warned Pakistan against complacency.
“Whatever we achieved against Australia has been celebrated a lot but it is in the past now,” said Iqbal, who took 171 wickets in 50 Tests, while talking to The Express Tribune. “Now the team must focus on beating New Zealand with momentum on their side. Pakistan must not take them lightly because they have the ability to spring a few surprises. It’ll be good for us if the team can continue this winning habit because the players will get confidence going into the ODI series and the 2015 World Cup.”
The batting has hit a purple patch, led by the talismanic Younus Khan, who hit three centuries in his record 468-run series haul and became the first player to score three consecutive centuries against the Aussies in 90 years.
Misbah and Azhar Ali took a leaf out of Younus’ book and hit centuries in both innings of the Abu Dhabi Test, with Misbah’s second-innings’ ton being the joint-fastest Test century ever; coming off just 56 deliveries to share the record with West Indies’ Sir Viv Richards.
In addition, Sarfraz Ahmed scored an 80-ball hundred in the first Test – Pakistan’s fourth fastest and the second fastest ever by a wicketkeeper – and Ahmed Shehzad also joined in with a hundred in the second.
What would perhaps have been even more pleasing for the team was how well their inexperienced bowling rose to the challenge, with left-arm spinner Zulfiqar Babar picking up 14 wickets and leg-spinner Yasir Shah claiming 12 in the absence of Saeed Ajmal.
Meanwhile, Zaheer Abbas – known as the Asian Don Bradman – advised the team to not ease up and aim for another whitewash. “They have whitewashed Australia and have the perfect opportunity to repeat the trick against New Zealand, but the players must not take the task lightly,” said Zaheer. “Our batsmen are in a rich vein of form and they must capitalise on it, especially Younus because he is capable of scoring a couple more centuries in this series too. Other batsmen are gaining confidence around him but they haven’t yet settled in my opinion.”
Misbah, however, is aware of the pitfalls that his side face if they become complacent and said the rankings of their opponents matter for little when the two sides take to the field. "If you see the rankings, then Australia are way above New Zealand but rankings don't play a major part in international cricket,” he said. "New Zealand is the kind of team that can really surprise you and one has to be aware of that. We have to be really focused against them because they can really give us a tough time.”
Pakistan will have momentum on their side when they take on New Zealand in the first match of the three-Test series on Sunday at the Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi.
It was at this very venue that Pakistan defeated the Aussies by 356 runs in their last outing, their biggest ever victory in terms of runs, to whitewash the visitors 2-0 and register their first ever series win over Australia in 20 years.
A win will see Misbahul Haq become Pakistan’s most successful Test captain as he currently sits level with Imran Khan and Javed Miandad with 14 victories as captain.
New Zealand, meanwhile, have not won a series against Pakistan since 1985, while Pakistan have not lost a home series to the Kiwis in 45 years.
Don’t get complacent
The Australians, ranked second, have been defeated. Now the same squad faces a relatively easier opponent in the Kiwis. However, former Test cricketer and ex-chief selector Iqbal Qasim has warned Pakistan against complacency.
“Whatever we achieved against Australia has been celebrated a lot but it is in the past now,” said Iqbal, who took 171 wickets in 50 Tests, while talking to The Express Tribune. “Now the team must focus on beating New Zealand with momentum on their side. Pakistan must not take them lightly because they have the ability to spring a few surprises. It’ll be good for us if the team can continue this winning habit because the players will get confidence going into the ODI series and the 2015 World Cup.”
The batting has hit a purple patch, led by the talismanic Younus Khan, who hit three centuries in his record 468-run series haul and became the first player to score three consecutive centuries against the Aussies in 90 years.
Misbah and Azhar Ali took a leaf out of Younus’ book and hit centuries in both innings of the Abu Dhabi Test, with Misbah’s second-innings’ ton being the joint-fastest Test century ever; coming off just 56 deliveries to share the record with West Indies’ Sir Viv Richards.
In addition, Sarfraz Ahmed scored an 80-ball hundred in the first Test – Pakistan’s fourth fastest and the second fastest ever by a wicketkeeper – and Ahmed Shehzad also joined in with a hundred in the second.
What would perhaps have been even more pleasing for the team was how well their inexperienced bowling rose to the challenge, with left-arm spinner Zulfiqar Babar picking up 14 wickets and leg-spinner Yasir Shah claiming 12 in the absence of Saeed Ajmal.
Meanwhile, Zaheer Abbas – known as the Asian Don Bradman – advised the team to not ease up and aim for another whitewash. “They have whitewashed Australia and have the perfect opportunity to repeat the trick against New Zealand, but the players must not take the task lightly,” said Zaheer. “Our batsmen are in a rich vein of form and they must capitalise on it, especially Younus because he is capable of scoring a couple more centuries in this series too. Other batsmen are gaining confidence around him but they haven’t yet settled in my opinion.”
Misbah, however, is aware of the pitfalls that his side face if they become complacent and said the rankings of their opponents matter for little when the two sides take to the field. "If you see the rankings, then Australia are way above New Zealand but rankings don't play a major part in international cricket,” he said. "New Zealand is the kind of team that can really surprise you and one has to be aware of that. We have to be really focused against them because they can really give us a tough time.”