SOUTHAMPTON, United Kingdom, Aug 19, 2020 (BSS/AFP) – Pakistan coach
Misbah-ul-Haq is confident his side’s fitness levels will hold up when they
face England in the third and final Test at Southampton starting on Friday.
A season reshaped by the coronavirus pandemic has left Pakistan with a
programme of three Tests in as many weeks.
What could have been a truly gruelling schedule became less arduous as a
result of so much time being lost to rain and bad light during he drawn
second Test, also at Southampton, concluded Monday.
But Misbah, who as a 42-year-old captain of Pakistan celebrated scoring a
hundred against England at Lord’s in 2016 with a round of press-ups, has long
been convinced of the need for his players to be in shape.
“Fitness has been an important part of our strategy as a team since I took
on the role of head coach last September and we have seen the benefits in the
two Tests so far,” Misbah wrote in a column for the Pakistan Cricket Board’s
website.
– ‘Perform under pressure’ –
“The players have taken ownership of their fitness levels and they should
be given credit for that, especially after three months at home during the
COVID-19 pandemic,” he added. “They know having supreme fitness will help
them to perform under pressure.”
Pakistan go into the series finale 1-0 down after a three-wicket defeat in
the first Test at Old Trafford.
But that loss saw Shan Masood show plenty of endurance during a Test-best
156 while wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan, impressive behind the stumps in
Manchester, was named man-of-the-match in the second Test for a determined
72.
“Mohammad Rizwan is a great example of that (fitness) in the way he ran
between the wickets and batted with the tail,” explained Misbah.
“Shan Masood also showed it in the first Test, batting for almost eight
hours, and running really well with Shadab Khan. The way they stole quick
singles is something that you don’t see much in Test cricket and certainly
not from a Pakistan team.”
The second day of the second Test was also Pakistan’s Independence Day,
which has previously coincided with some notable moments in the country’s
cricket history.
“It is always a special moment to celebrate Independence Day during a Test
match and Pakistan has some great memories from previous such occasions in
England: our first-ever Test win in England in 1954 came just after
Independence Day, as did the famous win at Lord’s in 1982 and, from a
personal point of view, our victory at the Oval in 2016 when we levelled the
series on 14 August itself,” recalled Misbah.
Unfortunately for Pakistan, the weather in Southampton meant the current
side could not add to those successes, although Misbah said: “Hopefully we
can deliver a late gift to the nation in the final Test and announce another
Independence Day! Or, as coach, I can just announce that this is the month of
Independence.”