Misbah-ul-Haq: England 'care for the ball' better than Pakistan

Misbah-ul-Haq believes James Anderson and Stuart Broad have turned reverse-swing into a form of art, but steered clear of suggesting the England bowlers have been illegally tampering with the ball.

During England's recent Test victory over Pakistan at Edgbaston, Anderson managed to produce some significant reverse-swing even though the ball was more than 30 overs old.

His performance enabled England to turn a first innings deficit of more than a hundred into a 141-run victory, with the hosts taking a 2-1 lead in the four-match series.

The final instalment starts at The Oval on Thursday, with the Pakistan skipper urging his own seamers to emulate the form of Anderson and Broad in particular.

While some believe England's bowlers may have pushed the boundaries of legality, Misbah refused to join the chorus in questioning their integrity. 

He said: "Obviously there are legal ways to roughen the ball. You bowl cross seam, throw the ball from the boundary one-bounce, shine it on one side.

Live Test Cricket

"You care for the ball, and the team which does it better achieves reverse-swing.

"This is an art. These days, one or two bowlers bowl cross-seam so that you hit one side of the ball on the pitch - we have to do that.

"England bowlers are experienced, and Anderson and Broad know how to utilise it. They know the conditions.

"They are very good bowlers, in a very good side, especially Anderson and Broad. They know what to do, especially how to take care of the ball on a pitch last day and how to 'reverse' it.

"Our seam bowlers have played less cricket. So they have to learn that and care for the ball. We have to gain that experience and concentrate on that."

And what about issues of illegally, when it comes to changing the condition of the ball? Misbah added: "The umpires are there, the match referees are there. I am not there to check those things.

"The game is over, and credit should be given to the England team for the way they bowled and got us out.

"That was a super spell by all their bowlers, especially after lunch. That happened, it's gone and now we have to focus on the coming game. We should have played better but don't write us off."