Former Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq has argued why India is not called an unpredictable team despite them beating Australia in Perth recently. India recently registered a stunning victory over Australia in the first Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
India’s win came after their shock 0-3 defeat to New Zealand at home. The Men in Blue were in dire straits after the series defeat but stunningly came out on top against Australia in the first Test.
Over the years, Pakistan has been known for its unpredictable nature. However, Misbah-ul-Haq has other thoughts and cited the examples of India and England in claiming that every cricket team is unpredictable.
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No one will call India unpredictable: Misbah-ul-Haq
During a press conference on the eve of the Champions T20 Cup, Misbah-ul-Haq was asked about the Pakistan cricket team’s unpredictable nature. Misbah cited India’s example by claiming that they defeated Australia after losing to New Zealand at home.
The former Pakistan cricketer also cited the example of England who lost two Tests in Pakistan a few days back. England lost a three-match Test series to Pakistan and then go on to defeat New Zealand in the first Test at Christchurch.
“India lost 0-3 to New Zealand and then defeated Australia in Perth. But no one will call them unpredictable. If you see England, they lost two Tests in Pakistan and then go on to beat New Zealand in a Test match. So, there is a sense of unpredictability with all the teams in cricket,” Misbah said to the reporters.
“India, New Zealand Sy 3-0Haar Kar Australia Ko Test Match Haraya Magar Unko Unpredictable Koi Nahi Kahay Ga,”Misbah-Ul-Haq pic.twitter.com/zizzn7fF5t
— Thakur (@hassam_sajjad) December 6, 2024
India and New Zealand suffer shock defeats
India succumbed to New Zealand in a shocking defeat at home. It was India’s first Test series defeat at home in 12 years. The Men in Blue had no answers to New Zealand’s brilliance as the visiting spinners proved too much to handle for them.
Meanwhile, a confident New Zealand lost the first Test to England at Christchurch. The Kiwis were high on confidence after their stunning win over India but could not match England’s brilliance.
Misbah-ul-Haq speaks on Pakistan’s infrastructure
Misbah further spoke about the need for consistency in Pakistan cricket which will help the team improve. He claimed that the infrastructure needs to be improved in order to grow cricket in Pakistan. Furthermore, he claimed that every team in the world is unpredictable since the gap is less between the skill levels of all the teams.
“In terms of Pakistan, if something happens after 12-15 matches, we tend to talk about the whole past rather than looking at the present. Although I believe that we need to improve on this aspect and put on some more consistent performances, but it is not that much as we portray them to be,” he noted.
“That consistency will only come through consistency in selection and policies. If we can improve all the things and our infrastructure, our performances will automatically improve. But the unpredictability is with every team in the world. You can’t predict anything because there is not much gap between the teams,” Misbah added.
Misbah-ul-Haq is the mentor of the Markhors team in the Champions T20 Cup. Iftikhar Ahmed is the captain of the team. The tournament begins on December 7 and the final will be played on December 25.
