Pakistan cricketers eager to work alongside Misbah

Pakistan captain Sarfaraz Ahmed praised Misbah's extensive reading of the game

PHOTO: AFP

Pakistan’s players heaped praises on former captain Misbahul Haq after the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced his appointment as the new head coach and chief selector of the national side on Wednesday.

In a video posted by the PCB, several players revealed their admiration for the former captain.

Pakistan captain Sarfaraz Ahmed revealed Misbah’s best quality which was his extensive reading of the game.

“I have played cricket with him in the last three years. He was a great captain. His best attribute is his reading of the game, especially in Test cricket. We won many matches under him between 2014 and 2017. Pakistan became the number one side in that period. We won many matches that we were about to lose,” Sarfaraz said.

Leg-spinner Yasir Shah recollected his experience with the former captain during a match against West Indies.

“We were playing against West Indies and I was with Misbah bhai. I gave him his tea and he told me to bring him a wicket instead,” Yasir said.

Fast-bowler Usman Shinwari revealed that the former captain led by example which forced all the players to push themselves more.

“When we were low, Misbah bhai used to take the lead. Then we would be embarrassed and push harder. He gave us that push. If a 40-plus commandant can run then we as youngsters should also be able to do it,” Shinwari said.

Opener Fakhar Zaman claimed that the former captain’s recent retirement would help him understand the demands of modern-day cricket better than anyone else.

“Misbah bhai is a very calm individual. He advises us a lot. The biggest thing is that he recently retired. He has an experience and idea about the modern day cricket,” Zaman said.

Fast-bowler Wahab Riaz credited Misbah’s guidance for his performance in the 2015 International Cricket Council (ICC) World Cup.

“Misbah bhai used to stand with me at mid-on and mid-off. He used to read the batsmen way better than me. So I used to ask Misbah bhai what to do next and he used to tell me to bowl a slow bouncer to this batsman or bowl a Yorker now. His cricketing mind was superb. He had a big hand in my success in the 2015 World Cup,” Riaz said.

Opener Shan Masood stated that sharing a dressing room with a player like Misbah was a childhood dream come true.

“Just sharing a dressing room with him as a player was a big thing. When players like Misbah and Younis khan are with you as a batsman, it is like a childhood dream where you are playing with your idols,” Masood said.

Middle-order batsman Asad Shafiq revealed that he learned to handle crisis situations through the calming nature of the former captain.

“When your team is in big trouble, a normal guy would panic. But I learned this from Misbah, that how to keep yourself calm in hard situations,” Shafiq said.

Fast-bowler Mohammad Amir claimed the best quality of the former captain was his calm personality.

“I have always believed that a calm personality can manage things more effectively. And I think this is Misbah bhai’s best quality. If you see him then he is a very calm personality. In our profession the more you stay calm, the better you can handle a situation,” Amir said.