LONDON: Pakistan coach Misbah-ul Haq said he was disappointed with the defeat against England, but added that’s the “vagaries of Test cricket”.
Chris Woakes stood tall at the close as he and Jos Buttler shared in a magnificent chase that saw England provided a classic first Test against Pakistan with a worthy finale.
“We are feeling frustrated, just as the fans are, after the Old Trafford Test match but this is how cricket is. There are very small margins between victory and defeat and it’s easy to curse yourself when you’ve lost,” said Misbah.
England were on the rocks when the pair came together on the fourth afternoon, 117 for five on an Emirates Old Trafford pitch that was starting to play tricks and with their target of 277 a dim and distant prospect.
“But, we should remember that we were right on top until pretty much the last session of the game and we played very good cricket. Sure, we need to improve 10 to 15 per cent and deal with pressure situations a little better but we shouldn’t be mentally down.
“There is disappointment, of course, but we must not keep that feeling in our minds otherwise it will be difficult to come back but the team believes we can fight back,” added Misbah.
What Buttler and Woakes produced was quite incredible. The pair put on exactly 50 in jut 49 balls before tea, egging each other on with a series of increasingly dazzling shots.
Buttler went after Yasir with a pair of classic drives and glorious sweeps on either side of the wicket, while Woakes took the game to Shaheen with four lavish strokes in the arc between cover and point.
“It was a thrilling Test match and full credit must go to England for the way they fought back, came from behind and took the game away from us. There was wonderful cricket played by both teams. Sometimes luck doesn’t favour you, sometimes the opposition plays well – that’s the beauty of the game,” said the former Pakistan star.
“We controlled most of the sessions until the last one. You could say one session in our second innings had a big say and then obviously the partnership of Chris Woakes and Jos Buttler. They counter-attacked well and there was a bit of inexperience – and even panic – in the team that cost us.”
