Former captain Javed Miandad has asked the Pakistan team to maintain the pressure on the world number team and they would come out winners while sweeping the three-match Test rubber. “The performance of the Pakistan batting lineup is satisfactory in the ongoing series against England in the UAE. “Apart from Younus Khan, every Pakistani batsman has scored at least a fifty in the first two Test matches in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, but no one has been able to score a hundred from the hosts,” he maintained. Talking to German Radio Deutsche Welle, Miandad said that English team’s 72 runs loss means that the pitch at Abu Dabi was difficult to bat on, where the Pakistan batsmen performance was far better.
“From our side although no one could get into the three figure but everyone contributed like Azhar Ali who played well in second innings, Misbah top scored in the first innings while Asad Shafiq performed well in the both innings,” he added.
Miandad believed that in Pakistan everyone wants that Pakistani should score 500-plus runs while playing on any kid of wicket against every opposition and bowl out their rival team for just 150 or so. “In the game of cricket it does not happen. Despite odd conditions away from home Pakistan performed exceptionally well and they beat England quite convincingly with huge margin in both the tests,” he added.
He further said that the Decision Review System (DRS) has made the batsmen’s approach more cautious. They are playing the spinners very carefully and have refrained from sweep shots to avoid lbw through DRS.
Miandad who is the most successful Pakistani captain against England for winning two back to back series in 1987 and 1992 said that English batting is vulnerable against spin and Pakistan has the advantage of having match winning spinners.
In test cricket bowling win matches and Pakistan has the luxury of having three strike bowlers in their line up who are all match winners and all of them are in good form that’s why they are producing results, he added.
Miandad, who played 124 test and scored 8832 runs more than anybody else in Pakistan said that the Pakistan performance in the last one and half year has been brilliant. ‘The team is performing well in every department and hopefully this trend will continue in the future.”
Miandad also warned the Pakistan team not to get complacent after winning the series. “In cricket every game is new and England has got a good side and they can hit back so in order to keep on winning streak our boys have to take the responsibility again,” he concluded.
Miandad urges Pakistan to complete clean sweep
