Won't Blame The Extended Quarantine Time If Results Are Not In Our Favour, Says Misbah-ul-Haq

Finally, the Pakistan team is allowed to train together and has been released from the extended quarantine period with just a week left for Pakistan’s T20I series against New Zealand. Head coach, Misbah-ul-Haq said that they wouldn’t be making any excuses if the team doesn’t perform well against the Black Caps.

The Pakistan team was subjected to an extended quarantine period as 10 members from the 53-member contingent were found to be positive for the covid-19 virus after landing in New Zealand.

Earlier they had been given a ‘final warning’ from the New Zealand Health Ministry as several players were found breaching the covid protocols. Another breach of the rules may have resulted in the team being sent back home. Some players were found flouting the protocols by sharing food, getting out of their rooms, and mingling with each other while placed in isolation.

At the end of the day, all that matters are results: Misbah-ul-Haq

Misbah-ul-Haq made it clear that he would not be making any excuses if the results do not go their way as by the end of their tour, it is only the results that would be highlighted. The former captain opined that there is no point in thinking about the things which are not in their hands, rather they should be focussing on the controllable.

Misbah-ul-Haq underlined that they need to rejig their training plans to cover it in a week for which they had three weeks earlier. He also feels that fitness should be given extra attention as the players need to get back to their best after a prolonged quarantine.

As quoted by Cricket Pakistan, Misbah-ul-Haq said, “As professionals, we are not looking for excuses. At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter how many excuses you come up with, all that matters are results. We can’t do anything about the uncontrollable. What we can control is to make up for the lost time and we are trying our best to achieve our best fitness and skill levels and get back in rhythm.

“It is difficult to cover practice plans of three weeks in one week but not impossible. We want to be in our best shape before we move to Auckland for the T20I series.”

The 46-year-old is impressed by the way Babar Azam is responding to Test captaincy responsibilities. Ahead of the tour of New Zealand, Babar Azam was announced as the Test captain of the team replacing Azhar Ali.

The right-hander was already the limited-overs skipper since he replaced Sarfaraz Ahmed after Pakistan’s exit from the league stage in the World Cup. His first assignment as an all-format leader would be to take on Kane Williamson’s New Zealand in three T20Is and two-Test match series.

“Babar has responded well so far in terms of his captaincy and his own performance. He is taking responsibility as a captain and performing with the bat. With time and experience, his captaincy and leadership skills will get polished further and he will understand the players better, which will eventually benefit the team,” Misbah-ul-Haq added.

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