Malik, Riaz hail team's rise to No.1

Former Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik and pace spearhead Wahab Riaz termed Pakistan's rise to No.1 in the Test rankings as a massive achievement

Former Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik and pace spearhead Wahab Riaz termed Pakistan's rise to No.1 in the Test rankings as a massive achievement, especially considering that they hadn't played at home.
Test captain Misbah-ul-Haq received the Test mace from ICC chief executive David Richardson at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on Wednesday for being the No.1 Test side in the world.
And Malik hoped and wished that they will remain at the top.
"I think it is a big achievement for Pakistan," Malik said at a Pakistan practice session at the ICC Cricket Academy on Wednesday.
 "Having said that, we haven't played international cricket in our country and despite that I feel the credit goes to the players, the PCB and the Pakistani people. It is a massive achievement and I think being No.1 is something which shows that how consistent you are. And my best wishes go out to the Test team that they remain No.1 for a long time," he added.
Wahab Riaz said that captain Misbah-ul-Haq played a pivotal role in their rise to the top of the tree.
"The credit goes to the entire team. The way the lads took the responsibility and they wanted to take the team to greater heights. So, it is the effort of everyone. A lot of credit also goes to Misbah bhai as captain. He has been instrumental in us reaching No.1 because the way he inspired the players, he really united them. And he groomed each and every player. And I think this is the best thing to have happened to Pakistan cricket," said Riaz.
Meanwhile, Malik, who is in the T20 squad that will take on the world champions the West Indies over three fixtures,  has played in almost every position in the batting order. And Malik said that he would continue to do what the team wants him to.
"I'm one of those who has batted at all positions and I think team comes first. So, wherever the team needs me, I will always be up for it. I think being consistent is something which was missing. But I'm trying my best to be consistent. If I'm consistent, that helps the team," he said.
And Malik believed that the conditions here will give Pakistan a bit of an edge over the West Indies.
 "Obviously, you make plans and we all know that in T20, they are the best in the world and they have very good cricketers. But obviously we are going to make plans against them. We have good cricketers as well and we are playing in our home conditions. And that is going to give us a slight edge. Having said that, we are well prepared and we have been practicing," said the 34-year-old.
Meanwhile, Riaz said that they will show the same attitude and energy which helped them prevail against England in the one-off T20 earlier this month.
The way we played the last T20, it showed that we want to win each and every game. We will go in with the same attitude and the same kind of energy and we will try to perform the same way we have done in the past. The focus is to win all three games and we are not going to give up at any stage. The main thing is the attitude and how we go into the game and the way we fight. And that's what everybody is talking about everybody is eager to perform. So, hopefully we will put a good show here," Riaz said.