NZ V PAK 2020: Misbah-ul-Haq had discussed pulling out of New Zealand tour
Pakistan head coach Misbah-ul-Haq revealed he had considered pulling out of the New Zealand tour during the 14-day quarantine period. Eight members of the Pakistan touring party had tested positive for Covid-19 upon their arrival in New Zealand. However, Misbah-ul-Haq decided to go ahead with the series given the effort that had gone into having the series.
Misbah-ul-Haq talked about the situation and said:
''We did discuss [pulling out of the tour] but then finally decided to say no to this option because when you invest this much time on this, then you have got to give it a shot.''
''Coping in the [Covid-19] situation isn’t easy for anyone, but if we want to keep the game alive and keep it going we have to make this sacrifice for fans sitting at home who want to watch the game and get entertained in this difficult time,” he added.''
The Pakistan team was also guilty of breaching quarantine norms, and the New Zealand government had issued a strict final warning to the travelling side.
After the breach of quarantine rules and other various Covid-19 related protocols, Pakistan lost their right to train in isolation, and their preparation for the New Zealand tour was hampered.
Misbah-ul-Haq will not use lack of training as an excuse
The Pakistan faithful would hope to see some quality cricket from their side. However, the lack of preparation could be an issue for the touring team. Misbah-ul-Haq though has made it clear he wouldn't use that as an excuse if the results don't go in their favour.
Pakistan is set to play 3 T20Is and 2 tests against New Zealand. The first T20I starts from December 18.