Team has enough potential and there’s bright future ahead for Pakistan, believes Misbah-ul-Haq
Misbah-ul-Haq admitted that Pakistan had a tough year across all formats and pointed out that a lot of things needed to improve in the side, which he believes has immense potential. Misbah also hailed emerging pacers Naseem Shah and Shaheen Afridi as the future of the Pakistan team.
It has been a memorable year for Pakistan as international cricket returned to their country after a decade, but their sluggish performance on the field overshadowed the joy of it. Pakistan were beaten comprehensively in South Africa and Australia and the team also failed to make it to the semifinals of the World Cup owing to their poor net run rate.
Pakistan head coach cum chief selector Misbah ul Haq didn’t shy away from accepting the struggles of the team while on the road as he pointed out that there is a lot to improve in the side, which he believes has immense potential.
“Pakistan ended 2019 on a high note with victory against Sri Lanka, but, overall, it was a tough year for Pakistan in Test cricket,” Misbah was quoted as saying by the Pakistan Cricket Board's (PCB) official site.
“In white-ball cricket, our mainstays like Fakhar Zaman, Hasan Ali and Shadab Khan, on the back of whom we had won the ICC Champions Trophy 2017, lost form at a crucial time which saw us suffer in the ODI World Cup and T20I format. Though, we managed to stay number one in the format throughout the year. Overall, our win ratio in T20I cricket has fallen,” he said.
“Going further, we have to improve a lot of things in both red-ball and white-ball cricket. This team has enough potential and new boys are also making their way in international cricket. There’s certainly a bright future ahead for us,” the former captain added.
The former Pakistan skipper heaped praise on young pacers Shaheen Afridi and rookie Naseem Shah, hailing them as the future of the team. Misbah singled out Shaheen’s World Cup exploits as he hailed Shah’s performance against Sri Lanka at home to justify his stand.
“Some of the new bowlers like Naseem Shah and Shaheen Afridi have arrived at the scene and they have been impressive in Test cricket. Naseem got five wickets in the last Test against Sri Lanka. Shaheen bowled well in the World Cup and he showed glimpses of being a Test bowler in South Africa, and bowled really well in Australia and here in Pakistan against Sri Lanka.
“We will hopefully bank on these two promising fast-bowlers in the future,” he added.