Pakistan’s head coach Misbah-ul-Haq said the side’s tour of England was the biggest disappointment of 2020.
The former batsman, who led Pakistan to number one position in the Test rankings for the first time since its inception, lamented the side’s failure to capitalise on opportunities to win the first Test in Manchester.
“From a personal point of view, the biggest disappointment of 2020 was the tour of England where we let victory at Old Trafford slip out of our grasp,” the Mianwali-born cricketer said according to a Pakistan Cricket Board press release. “Then, rain thwarted our chances of going 1-0 up in the series but I am glad we then bounced back strongly in the third match to level the T20I series.”
Related: Misbah explains why Pakistan lost first Test against England
The Green Caps lost the three-match Test series 1-0 and drew the three-match T20I series 1-1.
‘Different experience’
Commenting on the ongoing New Zealand tour, the former cricketer said the experience of playing in New Zealand was slightly different than to England, adding that the rigorous 14-day quarantine period led to the players getting injured and the side failing to prepare for the two-match Test series.
Misbah hailed the team’s performance in the first Test at Tauranga. “We won the third T20I, though I feel we could have won one of the opening two matches but lost too many wickets in the first match and then dropped a few crucial catches in the second,” he said.
“In the first Test, without Babar Azam and Shadab Khan, we fought gallantly and hard till the end that earned the team a lot of praise, which satisfies me and my fellow coaches.”
He called on the team to learn from their mistakes in the past year to put on improved performance in 2021. “A lot of cricket has to be played in the next year, which will not only require consistent performance but also top-notch fitness but with a larger pool of young and talented cricketers available, I am hopeful we will do better by converting strong performances into positive results.”
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