Pakistan no longer unpredictable: Misbah

Pakistan captain Misbah—ul—Haq today said his team has shed the tag of an unpredictable team after winning the Asia Cup win in Bangladesh.

Misbah said his team is now one of the most improved sides in world cricket. He argued that in the last one—and—a—half years, Pakistan had the highest win percentage among all the Test playing nations.

“We are an improving side, and I think by winning the Asia Cup we have also shed this tag of being an unpredictable side,” he said.

Misbah, himself a senior batsman who has now been leading Pakistan in all three formats of the game since Shahid Afridi was sacked as ODI captain last year in May, said he was satisfied with the performance of his team in the Asia Cup.

“Except for that one loss to India where their batsmen really played outstandingly, we did well as a team and we performed as a unit which is very satisfying,” he added.

Misbah who has been under fire for his captaincy and batting in recent months, admitted that it was difficult to digest harsh criticism after every defeat.

“It is not easy to forget the criticism, but we are learning to take it in our stride and show our worth by our performances,” he said.

There have been calls for Misbah to be removed as captain of the ODI and T20 sides and to induct more new players for these formats.

But Misbah said he was enjoying leading the side in all formats of the game, and the Asia Cup victory was a big boost for him and his team.

“It was a hard fought final and I thought Bangladesh played well throughout the competition. They were deserving finalists,” he said.

Misbah said that he was satisfied to see everyone in the team was pulling their weight at crucial times.

He pointed out that in the last one—and—a—half years Pakistan had been consistent in Test matches, beating all the major sides including New Zealand, Sri Lanka and England and drawing series against South Africa and West Indies .

“Our performances I think speak for themselves, and even in limited overs cricket the performances have been steady, except for the bad form we faced against England. We have learnt from those defeats,” he said.

Misbah said he was well aware of the pressures of leading Pakistan and that is why he kept himself focused on his game.

“I know how important it is for me to perform as a batsman as well and I keep myself focused on my performances as well,” he added.