Misbah-ul-Haq hopeful that Pakistan will make it to the semis

Misbah-ul-Haq may have recently retired from International cricket, but he hasn’t distanced himself from the Pakistani side yet. Though various former cricketers were apprehensive about the future of Pakistan cricket after a dismal show against India where they were thumped by a colossal 124 runs, Misbah was positive about Pakistan’s chances at the ongoing Champions Trophy after the upsetting the No. 1 ODI side.

Pakistan had been termed as a weakening ODI team before they entered the tournament as suggested by their No. 8 ranking. However, they still stand a strong chance to qualify from Group B after the comeback against the Proteas. He emphasised the importance of debutant Fakhar Zaman who had provided a glimpse of his talent with his 30-ball 31 against the Proteas at Edgbaston.

Even though it was his just his first ODI, Zaman was seen as the batsman that was missing in the Pakistan side for long. While Azhar Ali, after his return to the team, looked fairly average, Zaman may well have reserved the spot for the opener in the matches to come.

“After suffering defeat against India in the opener I think they have found a clue how to play. They played against South Africa with a changed mindset. If they continue playing in the same fashion in the rest of the tournament, then I believe they can have very good finishing,” he told a sports TV channel on Thursday, as reported by Pakistan Today.

“The good thing about him is that he plays aggressively while being sensible. This is how he also plays at the domestic level,” the former captain said.

“It was his debut. At no point, he looked nervous. He showed a great temperament against South Africa and it was marvellous to see him taking on world’s top class bowlers in English conditions,” he added.

Babar Azam’s consistency

Babar Azam was also given a special mention by Misbah for his growth as a player. He was dismissed on a single digit against India and an 80-ball 31 against South Africa was ideally not a knock to remember despite remaining unbeaten. However, Misbah expressed his belief in him and backed the youngster as the ideal batsman for the No. 3 position in the team.

“He is an asset for Pakistan. He is scoring consistently. It is after a long time that Pakistani team have found a player at the one-down position who is very strong on the back foot,” he said.

“He is also a very busy player and does not find difficulty in any sort of condition. In the match against South Africa he played according to the requirement. He is improving and that is very good for Pakistan,” Misbah concluded.