No one has any idea of Pallekele wicket — Misbah

Kandy: Misbah-ul Haq is the batsman that New Zealand fear they have to handle. It was his brilliant form that guided Pakistan to morale-boosting victories not only in New Zealand but also in the ongoing World Cup.

This soft-spoken, polished vice-captain of the team, spoke at length on his team's chances and other aspects of his game in the World Cup.

Gulf News: How do you think it will be to play on a wicket like in Pallekele which is not familiar to either team?

Misbah Ul Haq: Of course it will be tough. Nobody knows how the pitch will behave and so it is going to be tough for every team. There are no statistics available for this ground and no one has any idea as to how it will behave under lights. So all we can do is to handle it like professionals and play smartly. 

What is your impression of the wicket after a close look?

The way it looks, it is hard; so it may have a bit of bounce... but how exactly it will behave is tough to tell. 

Have you been backing your skipper with timely inputs?

Of course. I give my input whenever it is required on the ground. We need each other, so we consult each other. Afridi is doing the job very well, leading by example and is gelling the team well; so whenever he needs my advice, I give it and share my opinion. 

Do you know think New Zealand will be targeting you?

I think that's the strategy of the team. They target every batsman; they can't target just me because before me there are three or four batsmen who come in; and if they get hundreds then there is no point saying they are targeting me. 

Do you think your other batsmen will click like you have been doing in the previous matches?

I think every batsman is important. We are playing with six batsmen, so every batsman is important for us. I think we will be looking forward for our top order to get some runs because they did well in New Zealand and I hope they do it again. 

You have seen your top order failing repeatedly in this tournament. Is it a worry?

I think that's part of the day, sometimes you have a bad day. The conditions suited Canada in our last game; the wicket was a little bit slow, there were clouds, so they exploited the conditions well.

Our batting has done well in New Zealand and against South Africa, so the guys have done well in the last two series. So we will be looking forward for them to go there and perform well. 

What do you think made Afridi a difficult bowler to handle?

Afridi is one bowler who is difficult to handle in all conditions, especially here. His variation doesn't give time for the batsman, and if his ball is on target it is tough to play him. He is gripping the ball well and it drifts very well.

This makes it tough for batsmen to guess where the ball will go, how much it will drift. This is his strong point and his bowling is backed by the kind of aggression he is famous for while playing.