Misbah-ul-Haq has expressed his displeasure with Pakistan losing the first test despite having an upper hand in the first test which England won by three wickets to lead the three-match test series 1-0. Misbah-ul-Haq was disappointed with both the below-par batting as well as poor bowling in Pakistan and England’s second innings respectively as England won despite being reduced to 117 for five.
Chasing a stiff target of 277, England lost wickets at regular intervals before Jos Buttler who scored 75, and Chris Woakes who scored an unbeaten 84 not out stitched a brilliant stand of 139 for the sixth wicket.
Misbah-ul-Haq Disappointed As Pakistan Loses Despite England Reduced To 117/5
While Jos Buttler was thinking of retirement due to poor performance with the gloves, Chris Woakes did not feature in the team too often. But the win inspired them and probably cemented their places in the squad.
“…we are disappointed that we let England off the hook after they were five wickets down at one stage. The way Buttler and Woakes counter-attacked our bowlers it was very skilful,” Misbah-ul-Haq said after Pakistan went 0-1 down in the three-match series.
“Over all, we could have done better with the bat in the second innings. It would have been a different scenario if it was a 300 above target. It is very important to put up decent score in the second innings against England’s quality bowling attack in their own conditions,” he added.
England was chasing Pakistan 277 on the fourth day and at one point were 117/5. The England duo of Chris Woakes and Jos Butler put up stellar knocks of 84 and 75 runs, respectively. England won the first match at Manchester by 3 wickets. The 6th wicket partnership between Chris Woakes and Jos Butler was the key match-winner for England who struggled in the first innings only putting up 219 on the board.
The 6th wicket partnership of Chris Woakes and wicket-keeper Jos Buttler stitched up a 139 run partnership to bag the first test match and lead the series 1-0 against the visitors.
Wasim Akram Also Felt Pakistan Lacked Attacking Instinct
Wasim Akram, Pakistan’s former pacer felt that Pakistan failed to attack and lacked flair, and was unpredictable while defending the target. He felt that there was a requirement to put pressure on both Jos Buttler and Chris Woakes. He noted that while Jos Buttler was fighting for a test spot due to poor wicket-keeping, Chris Woakes averaged just 5.22 while batting in the last six tests.
Misbah-ul-Haq, however, denied issuing a statement and only maintained that the partnership between Jos Buttler and Chris Woakes was the turning point of the test match.
“I think till then the match was in our hands. That partnership completely took the game away from us. The turning point of the match was that England produced a brilliant partnership under pressure,” he said.
“It was a tough game for us but we will have to come out of that soon. We can play munch better cricket and this team has the capability to make a comeback,” he added.
The second test will be played in Southampton and will commence from August 13.