NZ vs PAK | Had the opportunities to win in the series but we didn't take them, regrets Misbah-ul-Haq
Pakistan head coach Misbah-ul-Haq made no excuses after a comprehensive Test series loss in New Zealand and admitted that Pakistan didn't take chances that came their way to win the series. He also added that the team deserves every bit of criticism, given they are expected to perform better.
Pakistan's horrible SENA run of recent years continued in New Zealand as they were whitewashed by the Kiwis 2-0 in the Test series. Pakistan, who were already hit by the injury of their star batsman Babar Azam, also missed the services of the likes of Imam-ul-Haq and Shadab Khan, which came as big blows and impacted their displays.
Despite all the setbacks, Pakistan's gritty batting almost bailed them out of a tricky game in the first Test as the game looked likely to end in draw but then New Zealand bulldozed the visitors to snatch a win. However, in the second Test, there was no contest at all, with the hosts winning the Test and the series easily.
Pakistan head coach Misbah-ul-Haq, reflecting on the series loss, stated that the team deserves to be criticised for its poor performances and rued not winning games from good positions.
"We deserve to be criticised for our performances. When people expect good performances from you and you don't deliver they are justified to criticise you," Misbah said in a podcast issued by the Pakistan Cricket Board, reported TOI.
"The way we fought hard in the first Test was very good and everyone expected a similar performance in the second Test but that didn't happen. We had opportunities in the series to win matches but we didn't take them," he said.
The former Pakistan skipper also highlighted the issue of not being able to finish games, which has been a recent problem for the Men in Green, just as has been fielding, which again came under the scanner in the Test series.
"This is something we have to look at as to why we can't cross that line between winning and losing a match. I have seen it happen many times in recent matches," he said.
"These things ultimately affected the result of the series. We need to improve our fielding."
Pakistan are set to lock horns with a young South African side at home, which is slated to be a big series for the return of cricket in the country. Misbah added that for the high profile series, they will look at domestic performances to pick players.
"We will look at making changes according to the home conditions and the South African team. We may also consider top performers from the ongoing Quaid-e-Azam Trophy for the South African series," he concluded.
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