This is the biggest challenge for us in a long time: Misbah-ul-Haq

The upcoming series against the strong England side will be a huge challenge for Misbah ul Haq and his troops. The hosts are fresh from a complete rout of Sri Lanka and look in top notch form. The Pakistan team, which has gone through some severe up and down in the recent past, will have a point to prove when they come out to play England at Lord’s which commences on 14th July.

Pakistan Test skipper Misbah-ul-Haq also looks determined and that the upcoming Test series against England will be the biggest challenge for the team in a long time. Speaking at the Investec Test series launch at Lord’s on Thursday (July 7), Misbah also labelled the tour as the ‘best chance’ for his side to perform well.

“This is the biggest challenge for us in a long time. This is the best chance for us, and me as a captain, to perform here, especially in these conditions. That’s the point we have to prove,” Misbah said.

“To perform in England, Australia, even South Africa, these are the tours where you really develop your team. The 2010 tour, I think, was a tough tour, but guys like Azhar Ali did well in tough conditions and situations, and that makes you a better player.”

Also , read – Sanath Jayasuriya urges players to manage their workload better

The Pakistan cricket team has undergone a lot of hardwork in the past couple of month to prepare for the series. A gruelling boot camp with military men followed by tough fitness tests along with a continuous emphasis on strength and conditioning training has kept the player in the best shape for the challenging tour. He team has also seen many changes and additions. A couple of seniors players were left out of the squad to give young names a chance. The Pakistan’s bowling attack has also been bolstered with the inclusion of Mohammad Amir and leg spinner Yasir Shah.

The skipper urged his batsmen to step up and put runs on the board in order to put pressure on the home side.

“That’s a fact that, whoever comes from Asia in these conditions, the batting really has to stand up,” Misbah said. “If you can put good scores on the board, the Pakistan seam attack is good, and we’ve got the best spinner at the moment who’s really bowling well. We really have to stand up as a batting unit and give them good scores, and we are capable of doing well against them.”

Also, read – We are stronger and capable of using bats that are a bit heavy: David Warner

The discussion quickly moved to the kind of reception Amir might receive in his comeback Test at Lord’s, six years since his involvement in the spot-fixing scandal. Misbah hinted that he may not have been in favour of Amir’s return to international cricket in the wake of the ban, but the Pakistan captain now pledged his full support to the seamer.

“Obviously, those are decisions not in your control,” he said. “More importantly, it is the fans and how they reacted, they wanted to see him back playing and so they [the PCB] made the decision with the support of the ICC. So we are there to support him, everyone wants to see him playing again,” he said.

Alastair Cook, the England Test captain, had mentioned a few days back that Amir will face hostility from the fans when he takes the field at Lord’s. Misbah though is hoping that the 24-year-old can still manage to deliver by focussing on the game.

Also, read – Sri Lanka suspends Kithuruwan Vithanage for one year

“He’s got the best chance to prove himself out in the middle, and he doesn’t need to worry about what’s happening with thousands of spectators saying something. He just has to focus on what’s going on in the middle.

“I think he’s bowling really well even on flat tracks in T20 cricket, one-day cricket, four-day cricket. His pace is there, he’s swinging the ball, he’s got all the tricks to get batsmen under pressure. But one more thing is that he’s more mature. He wasn’t that mature at that time [in 2010], but that maturity can help him now,” Misbah said.

Michael Atherton, the former England captain, also came to the defence of Amir, mentioning that he should be allowed to “move on with his life”.

Also, read – Shoaib Akhtar wants Salman Khan to play his biopic if one is ever made

“I did have sympathy for the situation he found himself in. He has served his time, I hope he gets a good reception. I think he deserves a chance to move on with his life rather than looking backwards,” said Atherton, who was also present at the series launch function.

Meanwhile, Cook, whose recent comments on Amir had upset Pakistan chief selector Inzamam-ul-Haq, chose to speak on the good relations that have developed between the two countries in recent years, and the England skipper was hopeful that the game will continue to be played in the right spirit.

“The one thing people have forgotten about is that the English-Pakistan relationship has been controversial over the 20 years, but the last time we played in Abu Dhabi it was spot on.The spirit and respect they showed towards each other was at the right level,” said Cook. “Hopefully, with the external stuff here, with Mohammad coming back, we can continue that relationship.”