We Are As Frustrated As Fans On Losing First Test Against England: Misbah-ul-Haq
Mumbai: Pakistan’s head coach Misbah-ul-Haq has said that there is disappointment among fans when they lost by three wickets in the first Test against England.
His comment came after England chased down a total of 277 against Pakistan after being reduced to 117/5 in the final innings.
“We are feeling frustrated, as fans are, after the Old Trafford Test match but it’s cricket. There is very little difference between victory and defeat and it is easy to curse yourself when you have lost. But, we should remember that we were right on top until pretty much the last session of the game and we played very good cricket.
In an official release issued by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), Misbah said that of course we need to improve 10 to 15 percent and deal with pressure situations but we should not be mentally weak.
“There is disappointment, but we should not keep that feeling in our mind otherwise it will be difficult to come back but the team believes we can fight back. It was a thrilling Test match and the credit for it should go to England. The way they fought came from behind and took the game away from us. There was amazing cricket played by both teams. Sometimes luck doesn’t favor you, sometimes opposition plays well – that’s the beauty of the game,” he added.
Batting first, Pakistan scored 326 runs due to Shaan Masood’s first innings of 156 runs. Then, the visiting team dismissed England for 219 as Yasir Shah took four wickets.
“We still definitely need to improve, but overall we battled really well against a top team in our first international fixture for six months. It was against England’s bowling attack in those conditions earlier It was a brave decision to bat. Shan Masood batted really well and it was great to see his partnerships with, first, Babar Azam and then Shadab Khan that shifted the momentum,” Misbah said.
Pakistan and England will lock horns in the second Test at the Ageas Bowl, Southampton from August 13.
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