ICC T20 World Cup 2016: Misbah-ul-Haq believes no one should underestimate this Pakistani side
After Pakistan’s emphatic 55 run win over Bangladesh in their first match at ICC World T20s, Pakistan’s Test captain Misbah-ul-Haq said on Thursday that it will be a mistake to underestimate this Pakistani side.
He believes Pakistan can rise from the dust of recent defeats and steal the show in the ongoing World T20. He said, “Being a Pakistani, I would certainly back Pakistan to win the tournament and do well. Look how they performed in the first match; experts and cricket pundits were worried about the team’s batting, but only the top order took the game away from Bangladesh.”
Afridi’s performance was the biggest positive point for Pakistan - Misbah
The 41-year-old also praised Captain Shahid Afridi’s performance against Bangladesh and believes he was instrumental in the campaign opening match. He also thinks Afridi needs to fire constantly if Pakistan wants to salvage a chance of clinching the title once again.
He said, “I feel Afridi’s performance is the biggest positive from the victory against Bangladesh. If he keeps going like this, then Pakistan can even win the World T20. I would again say that do not underestimate Pakistan, they can be the surprise package.”
Misbah also praised Mohammad Hafeez and Ahmed Shehzad on their performance in the same match. He said, “It was a good batting wicket in Kolkata but credit needs to be given to Ahmed Shehzad and Mohammad Hafeez for doing well,”
Virat Kohli is on my list of favorite players in the tournament - Misbah
The right-hand batsman also named his favorite players in the tournament and spoke very highly of Virat Kohli. He said, “I have always rated Virat Kohli as a tremendous cricketer. So in my list, he can be the one game-changer for India. From Pakistan, I have a lot of expectations from Shahid Afridi and Mohammad Amir; they can help Pakistan do well in the tournament. And of course, Martin Guptill from New Zealand and AB de Villiers from South Africa.”
On the much anticipated India vs Pakistan clash on March 19th at Eden Gardens he laid out a plan for Pakistan to beat the hosts. He said, “As a Pakistani player, you would not like to lose against them. But yes, still I feel Pakistan’s strength is bowling and India can only be beaten if the top order gets out early like New Zealand did.”
India not out of the World T20 - Misbah
However, he also believes that the loss against Kiwis doesn’t rule India out of the tournament. He said, “No, I don’t think [defeat against New Zealand] has dented India’s chances,”
He concluded, “One loss can’t make or break any team. The pitch turned unexpectedly in Nagpur and I hope they will come back in the games to come. I wish them good luck,”