Dubai: Pakistan coach Mohsin Khan has attributed the emphatic first-Test victory over England to the focus of his players and the motivation of keeping their places in the team.
Citing the example of wicketkeeper Adnan Akmal, Khan said: "Keeping is one of the most crucial departments of the game whether it is a Test match, One Day International or Twenty20.
"Adnan did a great job behind the stumps as a keeper.
Responsibility
"When it came to his batting he showed a lot of responsibility. The last 40-50 runs were so important and he played a very big role during that period."
Asked whether Akmal is now in line for a long run in the team, Khan said: "When I became the chairman of the selection committee, one of my top priorities was to prepare a back-up for every player.
"One of the main reasons that the team is doing so well is because every player knows that there is a player waiting for his place in the team.
"So everybody is trying to give their best in terms of their performance and fitness.
"Be it Adnan or any other player, I am happy to see the players are willing to give 100 per cent and that is all that the team requires to keep winning."
Khan has the same approach towards countering criticism about his players.
When asked how he is handling the uproar over Saeed Ajmal's action, the coach said: "From the dressing room point of view and from my players' point of view, I can say that we are not even bothered about it.
"Our concentration is fully on cricket and on the series and we are not talking about any off-the-field happenings.
"All my players, starting from the captain as a unit is concentrating on the game.
Meeting
"As soon as this news spread, we held a meeting and decided not to give any attention it and decided to prove on the ground how good we are as players. Our start is so good now that we will have to maintain it."
Looking ahead, Khan said victory in the first Test was just the beginning
"A lot of unforeseen and unwanted incidents had happened in the last few years and it is important to lift our image in international cricket," he said.
"This is a very important series to win for the future of Pakistan cricket."
What was the key factor behind England's collapse on the first day?
"I won't be able to reveal the secret behind our planning," Khan said.
"All I can tell you is that we were keen to get a good start and capitalise on it.
"We grabbed the match in the first two hours and marched towards victory."
