Pakistan skipper Misbah-ul-Haq: UAE conditions suited us in South Africa win

Abu Dhabi: Pakistan skipper Misbah-ul-Haq revealed that favourable conditions had a lot to do with his side’s seven-wicket win over South Africa in the first Test on Thursday.

“Conditions did suit us here and Saeed Ajmal’s record in the UAE is good. The record of Abdur Rehman is [also] good and [so was] the way Zulfiqar Babar bowled; it was a big plus point for us,” said a jubilant Misbah after the match.

He said that his side had performed badly in Zimbabwe in the last Test series because the wickets there were not to their liking and did not suit their strengths.

“Our batting struggled abroad, especially the top order, but here both openers played very well and it gave us an advantage. We were saying at that time too that conditions were different in Zimbabwe. Here the record of the Pakistan team is very good and whatever cricket we have played here over the last three years or so, we have done well,” said Misbah, adding that the England team also struggle against them here.

“When we went to South Africa, we were 3-0 and now they, the No 1 team in the world, are down 0-1. So did England and I think conditions play a big role in the results of Test matches,” said Misbah, who has jumped to the seventh spot in the ICC Test players’ rankings for the first time in his career.

The skipper was of the view that the victory would do a world of good to the confidence of his boys going into the second Test.

“That was really a much-needed win for us, especially with the bulk of youngsters in the side. Now they have really got to believe that they can do it. Now that we have beaten the No 1 side in the world, the boys will have the confidence to do it against any side in the world,” said the 39-year-old, adding that the opening partnership in the first innings paved the way for victory.

“The two openers gave us a big advantage in the first innings. The way Khurram Manzoor and Shan Masood played, they took the game away from South Africa. That momentum gave us a chance to really press the South Africans and I think everybody then continued that momentum till the end.”

The skipper was of the view that South Africans would come hard at them in the final Test next week and that his team will have to improve on this showing.

“[The] next match will be totally different and we know they are a world-class team. They have world-class players who can make a comeback at any time, we have to increase our level of performance if we want to win against them.

“Anything can happen, you can’t control results, but we will try to play better cricket than we played in this Test match.”