Pakistan always have a chance: Misbah-ul-Haq positive ahead of England tour

Head coach Misbah-ul-Haq has said that the Men in Green's upcoming tour of England will be very crucial as the sport will resume under new circumstances, The News reported. 

“It’s a very, very important tour for me and my players,” Misbah said. 

“It’s after a long time that a cricket tour is happening. These are extra-ordinary circumstances. The fact that these are Tests against a top team like England and are a part of the ICC World Test Championship makes this tour very significant.”

Pakistan will begin the tour with three Tests and will later meet England in a three-match Twenty20 International series.

Misbah, a former Pakistan captain, stressed that he sees the three T20I games as equally important.

“The T20 series is also very important as the (T20) World Cup is just around the corner. It will be a perfect opportunity for our team as we would be playing against a very solid team and if we do well against them it will give us a lot of confidence,” he said.

The 2020 Twenty20 World Cup is penciled in for October 18 to November 15 in Australia but remains in doubt because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Misbah said that it would be a tough task for him and support staff to keep the players at their best during this “tough” tour.

“The series (against England) will be played in a bio-secure environment. It will be a completely different scenario for all of us. Overall, the circumstances will be really unusual,” he said.

But Misbah hoped that a big squad of backroom officials which includes new inductions Younis Khan (batting coach) and Mushtaq Ahmed (spin bowling coach) would help keep the players focused.

“We will have an extended squad of coaches for this tour. We will have people like Younis Khan and Mushtaq Ahmed,” said Misbah.

“We believe that our players will need to feel safe and secure so that they can focus on cricket. We will need to mentally support the players on a daily basis. I’m sure that we will have enough resources to do that.”

Misbah said that his players might need a match or two to adapt to the new normal. He also hoped that West Indies’ Test series in England, which will precede Pakistan’s matches, will make his task a bit easier.

“Covid-19 is a big setback to all of us,” he said.

“The series involving West Indies will be very important. Hopefully it will go smoothly. It will help build confidence of the cricket world.

“Hopefully, cricket will make a strong return. Within a match or two, the players will be able to brush aside their fears and fully concentrate on the cricket.”

While admitting that England will have an edge, Misbah warned that anyone dismissing Pakistan’s chances will do so at their own peril.

“Host teams generally have an edge. So England will have the advantage. But Pakistan always have a chance. Many of our batsmen have played in England. Our bowlers have always performed well there in the past and I have great expectations from them. We have some really exciting fast bowlers, who are all in good form which is why I believe we will have a very good chance in the Test series,” he said.

In recent times, Pakistan’s graph in the T20 format has dipped, which has been a cause of concern for them.

However, Misbah is confident that his T20 players will bounce back against England.

“England are a very strong team in T20 as well. But it’s a good opportunity for us before the T20 World cup. Our target will be to beat England because if we play well against them it will be a great confidence booster for the team ahead of the World Cup. I’m very optimistic about our chances of doing well in England.”

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