Pakistan vs Bangladesh 2020: Misbah-ul-Haq delighted with Shoaib Malik and Mohammad Hafeez's contributions in T20I series win
Pakistan were able to hold on to their number one spot in the T20I rankings after they beat Bangladesh 2-0 at home. A bigger positive for Pakistan was the return of their two experienced batsmen - Mohammad Hafeez and Shoaib Malik, who performed brilliantly and have solidified their middle order.
Malik scored 58* off 45 balls, steering Pakistan to victory in the first T20I, while Hafeez scored 67* off 49 balls in the second T20I to help Pakistan win the series.
Their presence showed exactly what Pakistan were lacking in their T20I whitewash at the hands of Sri Lanka. Coach Misbah-ul-Haq was extremely happy and satisfied with the return of the experienced duo and the kind of impact that they had on the series.
Misbah was quoted as saying by Cricket Next,
"After two series, we have realized that we cannot go all out with youngsters and we need experience. So, obviously Babar did back them (Malik and Hafeez) and, as expected, their experience did work for us.
"The doors are never shut. If any player who is fit, performing and required, he should definitely be considered. If their form is helping your team, then I don't see any problem in picking them."
After a run of losing games, Pakistan were finally able to win a series convincingly and Misbah was satisfied with the efforts that the team put in.
He was especially pleased with the bowlers like Haris Rauf and Shaheen Afridi as they were able to restrict Bangladesh in both games.
Misbah continued,
"It's good for me, for the team, for all youngsters that we are relaxed and got a little confidence-booster. Now we can focus better going forward. Because when you lose back-to-back series and even before we had a poor run losing T20 games, so it was really important for our confidence to win.
"Obviously, credit should be given to our bowling, the way our young bowlers never gave Bangladesh a chance to sneak in to get into a position to pose any threat."
The third and final T20I between Pakistan and Bangladesh was abadoned yesterday without a ball being bowled due to rain.