Misbah confident, but still wary of England

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Cricket365
November 13, 2015

Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq says his team is a confident unit after winning the second Test against England, but feels the visitors will come out swinging in Sharjah to try and level the series.

Pakistan won the Test with six overs to spare on day five, and says they pulled a lot of positive energy from that, but he knows England have a lot to prove. He added that they were looking at the third Test as a completely new start.

Misbah said: "People ask about the kind of impact it would have on our next game and I said that we don't think about the previous game and once we go in the next game it's different.

"We won the last game at the end, that was a close game but a win is a win and we are looking forward to this Test.

"Obviously you have to think positively and we will do our best and will not leave any stone unturned to play well and win.

"Your confidence is high after winning the last game and our team's confidence is high, so it's an important match for us and we will do our best to win it."

Misbah added that England were proving to be tougher opposition than many other teams in the UAE, and that Pakistan would need to be at their very best in Sharjah as England will have learned a few lessons.

He said: "I think looking at England you can clearly say that they are a better side than Australians here in these sort of conditions, they are putting a good show in batting, playing the spin well.

"Maybe there is a difference in pitches but you have to give credit to England, the way they are applying themselves, getting runs. As far as New Zealand are concerned, they improved after the first Test and in the second and third Test they gave us tough times, playing spinners.

"[England] have been playing really well in terms of their batting and in terms of discipline in their bowling and they have been really putting a good show in the previous two Tests, so we have been looking forward to a tough game.

"We know they can come down hard because they have to win this game so we have to be mentally ready for them."