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Pakistan v Sri Lanka, 1st Test, Abu Dhabi, 5th day
Misbah targets improved fielding
ESPNcricinfo staff
October 22, 2011
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Pakistan v Sri Lanka at Abu Dhabi
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Misbah-ul-Haq, the Pakistan captain, has said that his side needs to improve their fielding if they want to win the three-Test series against Sri Lanka. Pakistan dropped six catches in Sri Lanka's second innings, helping the visitors overcome a 314-run first-innings deficit and hang on for a draw.
"The only negative from the Test is our fielding," Misbah said. "Otherwise bowling and batting had so many positives. Pakistan's fielding has improved over time but we need to improve more, like with batting and bowling. We have been for ages on and off in the field, one day outstanding, other days not so.
"But we've focussed and worked hard on this for the last year and a half. The problem still does come up, but we are trying to better it [the fielding]."
Fielding aside, Pakistan had plenty of positives to take from the game. Left-arm fast bowler Junaid Khan picked up career-best figures of 5-38 in just his second Test, helping bowl out Sri Lanka for 197 in their first innings, while opener Taufeeq Umar racked up a double-century.
"We took 20 wickets and lost seven, so it's really a positive sign for our team," Misbah said. "We can work hard on fielding, come in with more confidence and do well in the second Test.
Led by Kumar Sangakkara, who made 211, his eighth double hundred in Tests, Sri Lanka were able to keep Pakistan at bay and save the Test, and Misbah praised their rearguard action. "You always rate Sri Lanka as a top-class cricket team. They made a great comeback, we were expecting that. We were aware that they are going to fight, and full marks to Sangakkara and Prasanna [Jayawardene] who put up a brilliant show."
Pakistan were set 170 to win in 21 overs to but opted not to try and overhaul the target, a tactic that Misbah defended. "Realistically, last day wicket ... Twenty20 is a different ball-game, you have field restrictions, a Powerplay. In a five-day game, no restrictions, you can pack one side and nine-an-over becomes difficult, it was not realistic."
Tillakaratne Dilshan, the Sri Lanka captain, said he was disappointed that Pakistan did not even try to chase their target. "I think it's a huge advantage for us," Dilshan said. "I thought Pakistan would try to go for the target and I am a little unhappy they did not try to go for a win."
Dilshan also praised Sangakkara and Prasanna Jayawardene, who made his fourth Test century and added 201 with Sangakkara in their game-saving stand.
"It was a fantastic partnership. Sangakkara showed his class, played well in the middle and guided Prasanna. I can't ask for more from him. He is a fantastic player and Prasanna played equally well.
"Definitely, I am really happy. The thing is, after the first couple of days we were well behind in the match and even then the body language in fielding and bowling on a flat wicket was great."
The second Test starts in Dubai on Wednesday.
© ESPN EMEA Ltd.
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Pakistan v Sri Lanka at Abu Dhabi
- Nov 23, 2011
Pakistan won by 3 wickets (with 16 balls remaining)
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Pakistan won by 3 wickets (with 16 balls remaining)
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Misbah is the best thing for Pak at the moment so please, Pakistani fans, stop yelling at him. His strike rate in ODIs is 80 and average very high, thats a good combo. As for Tests, after Bradman hes got the highest average as captain.
Pakistan team is pure now, ever since the start of 2011, we managed to get rid of player politics and now the team is actually winning. We bowled a tough batting line up out for 197 on a flat track and Pakistan dominated the Test match. Good going.
Posted by Pankaj_INDIA on (October 24, 2011, 9:04 GMT)@johnathonjosephs: "Tendulkar is severely overrated in my books in Test cricket". did i hear "your" book??? ohh yes, you must that bowler who took his wkt every time you bowled him, or scared him away with your raw pace... isnt it mate?? lol
Posted byThe Nagative approch of Sri Lankan openers in the first innigs put the pakistani bowlers on top.After the to give the opeertunity to Dynamic Dinesh Chandimal.However both bats came up with good scores.So I wonder when will chandimal gets the opeertunity.What sri lankans lackin is consistancy.Expet for welagedara all other bowlers are very orinary on the flat track.I t is better if we can insert suraj Randiv in place of Suranga Lakmal or Nuwan pradeep.
Posted by Haleos on (October 24, 2011, 6:35 GMT)@Pankaj_INDIA - please. Dont be a blind follower. SRT is one of the best not the best. I am a die hard Indian fan but since IPL have lost some respect for sachin. He has earned more than enough to last a few generations but still places his Franchise over country. Rested from west indies but immediately after the world cup played in IPL.
Posted by Haleos on (October 24, 2011, 6:31 GMT)Misbah is having Short term memory loss. He forgot that his batsman were batting with strike rates of 35, 27 etc. does he expect to win matches with such horribly slow batting?
Posted by HAQQI on (October 24, 2011, 4:29 GMT)The problem is not Pakistan, The problem is Misbah ulhaq. He is a defensive character. Not worth of playing as a captain. In the past series he was seen like this. Play defensive resulting in not going for a win on the last day. He needs to be replaced by someone daring.
Posted by gzawilliam on (October 24, 2011, 1:17 GMT)Shows dilshan's inexperience as a captain to think a total like that could be reached in 20overs. Even on a flat wicket its just not a smart thing to do. I think dilshan is still a tad reckless to be captain. Someone needs to take over from him. But the people who should dont want to. shame.
Posted by Blueangle on (October 24, 2011, 1:04 GMT)I never liked this guy (Misbah) as a captain and he never missed a chance to prove me right. For God's sake, you cant win matches with such a negative frame of mind. Pakistan batted like they are playing 50 days game not a 5 days game, NO urgency. You can kill(draw) a test match with net RR of 2.90 but can not win, not when you score 26 runs in 94 balls. Though fourth innings target was not easy but its real shame that Pakistan gave up even before they stepped out to bat. What a disgrace to Pakistan cricket..
Posted by rohanblue on (October 23, 2011, 14:18 GMT)realy good improvement frm pak, and sanga as usual awesome......
Posted by Dominator66 on (October 23, 2011, 11:28 GMT)ON flat tracks any body can cay anything, if you look at the stats only partially good players like tendulkar, dravid and all other indian so called great players have scored!! but look at the big picture world class players score runs all over the world!!
Posted by Bilal94 on (October 23, 2011, 8:30 GMT)Cheer up guys first we usedd to lose won test matches now we are drawing them .So it is an improvement.
Posted by Herath-UK on (October 23, 2011, 8:05 GMT)Not only fielding, Pakistan's overcautious approach cost them the match;even after having the advantage of bundling out the opponents to a small score they crawled and crawled in spite of having all the wickets in hand.Despite the dropped catches,it was lack of time that made Pakistan to close the door.Well done,Sanga but Russel Arnold's XI suggested for the second Test looks a good option. Ranil Herath -Kent
Posted by Pankaj_INDIA on (October 23, 2011, 7:39 GMT)playing on dead wkts of SL, he can only be called as 3rd best srilankan batsman after De Silva and Ranatunga. you have to score heavily in Oz, Eng, SA to be labelled as world class. sorry folks, but he is nowhere near that. SRT best, Don, Lara, Ponting, Dravid, Kallis follow next up..
Posted by lankavigi on (October 23, 2011, 7:32 GMT)Dilshan Dilshan Dilshan. How can he be happy after a draw. Their performance was hopeless during the first three days. Their bowling looked weak. Dilshan was proud of that???????? Pakistan would have easily won the match, but gave it away through their poor fielding. If they do field well next match, they should win the match.
Posted bynot only fielding but their defensive mindset needs to be changed as well. pakistan needs to be more attacking with the bat. I don't mean scoring at a strike rate of 100, but strike rate 30-40 won't work. At least from one end some body needs to score at a strike rate of around 55.
Posted by KarachiKid on (October 23, 2011, 6:51 GMT)Dear Sri Lankan friends. I am a BIG fan of both Mahela and Sanga...what great bats and what gentlemen....I never once said a negative word about Sanga while he was on crease inspite of the fact that he stood between Pakistan and victory. Hats off. I wish we have more world class players like Mahela and Sanga who also carry themselves on the field like true gentlmen...
Posted by johnathonjosephs on (October 23, 2011, 5:42 GMT)@kru1245, would be interesting if you counted only the matches that Sanga played as a pure batsman. In regular games, his average shot up by 30 (wcktkeepr average:40, pure batsman average: 70). Why don't you include his stats as PURE BATSMAN? His Away average (that is what I think you are attempting to prove) shoots up to 60 which is higher than any of the men you mention. Just to mention something. While Sanga's away average is 40 against Bangladesh (284 runs), Tendulkar's away average is severely inflated by Bangladesh with 800+ runs @ 136.66. The way i see it, as PURE Batsman, Sanga> Lara>Ponting> Tendulkar Tendulkar is severely overrated in my books in Test cricket. But Tendulkar is THE best ODI Batsman by a mile. All round batting (including Tests AND ODIs), I would say Tendulkar> Ponting> Lara> Sangakkara. But that is another story
Posted byall the people shouting about afridi's aggressive approach are rather confusing his image with his captaincy approach... in recent times, he have been the most defensive captain.. u hardly see him atatcking in the field.. even the opposition in precarious positions, he plays to the overs than the situation. 5 men will still b on the boundary if its over no. 35 with 7 wckts down.. i am sorry, but if both captains cancel out each others aggressive options, then surely misbah is the best bet.. we dont need big wins now.. all we need is first not to lose and then start winning..
Posted by donda on (October 23, 2011, 5:26 GMT)I am amazed and baffled that Pakistan cricket has arguably the best fielder in Pakistan cricket history as a fielding coach. Ijaz Ahmed and pakistan is fielding like a club team. This is proof that my beloved cricketer Ijaz ahmed (who in my eyes is the best ever pakistani fielder) is not worth mentioning fielding coach. . If i was Ijaz i would leave the job of fielding coach after this performance by Pakistan and also in WC SF against India.
If Ijaz cannot improve pakistani fielding then no body can. I think pakistani fielding can never improve at all. It's so pity
Posted by getsetgopk on (October 23, 2011, 4:59 GMT)Pakistan is turning out to be real chockers. First they chocked in wc semi and now they threw away a test match, a match they could have and should have won by an innings margin ended up in a draw, misbah hasn't got much time left as a cricketer and he's not doing himself any favours either. Though a good servant nontheless but im afraid will be remembered in a bad way.
Posted by Roshini on (October 23, 2011, 4:42 GMT)Without doubt a brilliant rearguard action by KS and PJ aided by the ever generous Pakistani fielding. No other nation comes to mind for such appalling fielding which is not limited for any bad day on the park. Pakistan keeps producing magnificent bowlers year after year only to be denied them of more glory due to the teams sub standard fielding. Pakistan paid a heavy price for the reprieves and any other test nation would have been one up with a day to spare given the brittle lankan middle order. Thank you Pakistan you saved the day for Dilshan. We are friends after all! Aren't we???
Posted by Dhakshika on (October 23, 2011, 4:40 GMT)well done sanga.you always make sri lanka Proud.After Aravinda De silva you are the greatest bastmen sri lanka made.and also you are the best left hand batsmen in world cricket test history. even Lara will believe it.we are all proud of you. if young Players like Kapugedara saw this article ...pls ,learn how to make a test innings.because after Sanga u have to do his job..u have enough talent for this.pls learn temperament.wish u both & sri lanka..also pakistan
Posted bywhat a freaky tactics by Pakistan, Could have won it easily, Alas
And we cannot improve our fielding in next 25 years ATLEAST, Our bowler try to bowled and LBW the opponent, Even LBW the given, Sad over good performance from Pakistan, Atleast they did not lose the match
Posted by tanweeralam on (October 23, 2011, 3:38 GMT)@Stark62 Afridi as Captain.... On one side u are talking about young side and then siding for Afridi he is above 30 and with is temperament he will be a curse to the side. He does have the skill to be captain and will fight with every captain coach or selector. He was good only in the past when controlled by the other heavy Weights, He definitely doesnot have what is required to be a senior player.
Posted by AnotherCricketer on (October 23, 2011, 3:05 GMT)I bet Misbah has more on his mind than fielding alone. And if not, I hope he takes a second look at the batting performance. Taufeeq Umar's double may have easily cost Pakistan the game as well. When Pakistan stepped on the field on the third day, they had the opportunity to build the lead quickly and invite Srilanka to bat sooner. Instead, the tick-tock continued and they called quits at 511/6. In contrast, 450/10 would have been a better outcome in that Pakistan would've more time to bat towards the end. I think Taufeeq will disappoint again. Rather than building around up and coming talent like Shehzad and Asad Shafiq for opener, PCB will wait for the failure to build before making the call. Welegedara and Herath will make their mark in the second test. Pakistan bowling will be key for their survival and their struggle for reliable the upper middle order is far from over.
Posted by Happy_AusBang on (October 23, 2011, 3:04 GMT)People talking about Afridi are dreaming. The only place he might have in the team is as a bowler but only in T20s and maybe occasionally in ODIs, but NEVER in tests.
Posted by Kru.1245 on (October 23, 2011, 1:36 GMT)Tendulkar 102 matches 8418 29 centuries 55.74 avg. - Ponting 71 matches 5584 18 centuries 48.55 avg. - Lara 66 matches 5,736 17 centuries 47.80 avg. - Sangakarra 43 matches 3.713 10 centuries 50.17 avg. Hmm. Not even close. Sankagarra playing more than 55% of his matches in SL, doesn't prove anything sorry. He's barely played more than 3 matches in Aus, Eng, SA. Keep dreaming.
Posted by maddy20 on (October 23, 2011, 0:38 GMT)Well played Sanga. Pakistan need to learn how to field. It has already cost them a worldcup. One has to feel sorry for their bowlers.
Posted bySangakkara is the best test batsman in modern era..No doubt,...his avrage is 70 as a batsman..57 in whole career...which is easily the highest among other good batsmen in his era(eg:Sachin 56,Ponting 54,Lara 52)
Posted bySangakkara is poised to replace Lara as the TEST cricket`s best left handed batsman...He has a better average, than Sachin,Lara or Ponting..He is only 33 so by the time he retire, he can go pass Lara`s run tally,& score more 100s & 200s...SL bowlers have the talent..they are young and inexperienced.. so give them time....Even Murali & Vaasy were went wktless in many matches at the begining of their careers...Batters have to do well more consistently...
Posted by johnathonjosephs on (October 22, 2011, 22:30 GMT)8 Double centuries + 194 (wrongly out, ball hit on shoulder) and an average of 71 after he gave up wicketkeeping. 2nd best batsman of all time???
Posted by pakflag on (October 22, 2011, 21:44 GMT)It just goes to show you that fielding is another factor that must considered when winning matches and you might just say that there could've have been a different result if the catches were taken in the first place. Not that Pakistan did bad, I mean they had a great test match overall, but kudos to Sanga and Prasanna for their batting effort in chasing a very big trail and saving the test for Srilanka. All and all good competition as this is what can happen in test matches and that is what test cricket is all about.
Posted by pakflag on (October 22, 2011, 21:44 GMT)It just goes to show you that fielding is another factor that must considered when winning matches and you might just say that there could've have been a different result if the catches were taken in the first place. Not that Pakistan did bad, I mean they had a great test match overall, but kudos to Sanga and Prasanna for their batting effort in chasing a very big trail and saving the test for Srilanka. All and all good competition as this is what can happen in test matches and that is what test cricket is all about.
Posted by Ellis on (October 22, 2011, 20:28 GMT)A good fightback by SL after a dismal first innings. The SL bowling while it cannot be faulted for effort, is well short of Test class. A difficult wicket to bowl on, but the Pakistani fast bowlers were well ahead of those from SL. Pakistan easily had the better of the match. Sangakkara showed what a class player he is, while Dilshan could easily be fighting for his place as a batsman on current form. Prasanna Jayawardena came good after a shaky start. Both sides played the game in a competitive but friendly and sporting manner. Something for the English and Indian teams now playing in India to learn from.
Posted by Ahmad1984 on (October 22, 2011, 19:18 GMT)As usual, negative mind set and approach of our "beloved captain" Misbah has cost us YET ANOTHER test match. I am missing Afirdi approach badly. Unfortunately no body will be talkinf about this negative approach on 3rd day and 170 runs in 21 Overs. Atleast they could have tried to chase.
Posted by Stark62 on (October 22, 2011, 18:50 GMT)His right about the fielding hence, some of the older guys have to be replaced!
I was watching Eng vs Ind ODI and Ind actually out performed one of the best fielding teams in the world and that was mainly because of the youth on show.
Pak may keep this old side in the Test arena for little while longer but in ODI and T20, players like: Taufeeq, Younis, Farhat, Cheema and even Misbah have to go.
Afridi as the captain of both ODI and T20 team plus, a new look team with YOUNGSTERS not 30 yr old's making their debuts.