Former Pakistan captain Ramiz Raja believes the country’s cricketers are trying hard to regain their credibility that has been shaken by the spot-fixing scandal. Former coach Waqar Younis and Ramiz Raja agreed that Pakistan’s one-day series win over Sri Lanka and their fighting performance in the fourth ODI was important after the damage caused by the spot-fixing scandal. “I think after the damage by the spot-fixing issue, the players themselves want to win every match to regain their credibility as a team and to win back the confidence of their supporters and cricket fans all over the world,” Raja said. He said the winning streak is a very positive development for Pakistan cricket which needs to do well to get back on track. Raja also credited good captaincy from Misbah-ul-Haq for the turnaround in fortunes. Waqar, who remained Pakistan’s head coach until the Zimbabwe tour in September after which he stepped down on personal and health grounds, agreed with Ramiz. Both the former captains were speaking in a post-match session after Pakistan clinched the fourth one-dayer to take unbeatable 3-1 lead in the five-match series. Waqar, who played an influential role in Pakistan’s rise as a team since last year, said Misbah deserved a lot of credit for the consistent performances of the team. “He is calm, calculated and disciplined and has led the side well. The players have responded to his style of captaincy in the last six months,” the former fast bowler said. “It is good they are taking it one match at a time instead of focusing on long term goals. This approach has worked for them and now one can see this team is on a roll with a good bowling attack,” he said.
