"We shouldn't be mentally down. We must not keep that feeling in our minds otherwise it will be difficult to come back but the team believes we can fight back"
Monday 10 August 2020 13:53, UK
Pakistan coach Misbah-ul-Haq is adamant his team can fight back and inflict a first home Test series defeat on England since 2014 after "inexperience" cost them the series opener.
The tourists had England 117-5 in pursuit of 277 to win on the final day at Emirates Old Trafford, only for Chris Woakes and Jos Buttler's 139-run stand for the sixth wicket to underpin a successful chase for the hosts in a Test Pakistan had pretty much dominated.
Pakistan skipper Azhar Ali was captaining in just his seventh Test having replaced Sarfaraz Ahmed in the role last October and had his tactics questioned by the side's former bowler Wasim Akram.
Writing in his column on the Pakistan Cricket Board's official website, Misbah said: "We are feeling frustrated, just as the fans are, but this is how cricket is.
"There are very small margins between victory and defeat. There was a bit of inexperience - and even panic - in the team that cost us.
"There has been debate about whether we could have bowled more short stuff or we could have bowled [leg-spinner] Shadab Khan earlier.
"Maybe so, but you also have to remember that Woakes and Buttler did have quite a lot of luck in that partnership.
"It's easy to curse yourself when you've lost but we should remember that we were right on top until pretty much the last session of the game and we played very good cricket.
"We need to improve 10 to 15 per cent and deal with pressure situations a little better but we shouldn't be mentally down.
"We must not keep that feeling in our minds otherwise it will be difficult to come back but the team believes we can fight back.
"We still need to improve, of course, but overall we fought really well against a top team in our first international fixture for six months.
"My message to the fans is that you have given us excellent support from back home so far and we thank you for that.
"Please keep supporting Pakistan and we will do our best to come back in this series, which I really believe this team is capable of doing."
Watch the second #raisethebat Test between England and Pakistan, at The Ageas Bowl, live on Sky Sports Cricket from 10.30am on Thursday.
