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Draw is an Eid gift: Misbah

DUBAI - After leading his team to a comfortable draw against South Africa in the first Test at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Tuesday, Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq termed the result as an Eid gift to the nation.

“We played very well in this Test. It is a great gift from us to the nation,” a relieved Misbah, who hit an unbeaten 76 in the second innings, told reporters after the match.

Misbah, who is leading the Test squad for the first time, also lauded former captain Younis Khan’s wonderful innings, which helped save the Test on the fifth day. Younis smashed nine fours and four sixes in an entertaining knock of 131 off 230 balls.

“He is a world class player. It was another good innings from him. He is a wonderful team man and I always love to bat with him in the middle. We really enjoyed a lot of good partnerships and today’s was one of them. He proved his class again.”

Misbah said he was confident that the team could pull off a draw here.

“We were sure of this result, especially considering the pitch’s behaviour. We were also confident after seeing the South Africans lost only two wickets in their second innings. We knew that if we play well, we could save the game.”

“The entire team were very confident in the morning because we knew that there was nothing to fear on the wicket. Other than some bounce for spinners, there was hardly anything for the bowlers to exploit. Our plan was to play well with good application and stay at the crease. It worked for us.”

While analysing the fifth-day pitch, Misbah said: “I think there was something for the spinners - a bit of turn and bounce from the rough. However when they bowl wicket-to-wicket, there was nothing for the spinners. It was slow for the fast bowlers as well.”

Asked about his own performance, the captain said the innings was a crucial one for him.

“It was really important for me to score runs because as a captain you have to lead by example. Otherwise if you are under pressure, you just can’t take the right decisions. This innings was important because I was out of the team after some bad performances.”

He felt the draw would also boost his team’s chances in the second Test in Abu Dhabi from November 20-24.

“We need Test matches like this because we are not playing many Tests for the last two-three years. Now we are playing some games and we are getting good confidence. South Africa are one of the top teams in the world. If we continue playing like this, we can really gain a lot of confidence.”

Asked why the team agreed for a draw when there was still some 14 overs to go and seven wickets remaining, he said: “We were positive right in the morning and even yesterday evening. We concentrated on playing our natural game. They went a bit defensive in their bowling in the middle.”

pradeep@khaleejtimes.com