No panic but Pakistan batting concerns Misbah

CHRISTCHURCH: Pakistan captain Misbah-ul Haq dismissed talk of panic in the ranks on Friday but conceded their batting woes needed to be addressed.
Pakistan play the West Indies in their second World Cup match on Saturday at Hagley Oval in Christchurch. Both are desperate to get points on the board after losing their first matches in Pool B.
Pakistan suffered a dramatic batting collapse when they were outclassed by India, while the West Indies were upset by Ireland.
“This is an important game, and both teams need to win. We know that,” Misbah said, adding that Pakistan knew they had to rectify their batting.
But he added “we are not panicking,” when questioned whether there would be changes to the side to face the West Indies.
Misbah’s 76 against India was the only half century in the Pakistan innings but he said he should not have been responsible for holding the innings together.
“It doesn’t mean that all the time it should be me. It should be two other guys out of six or seven batsmen that are playing,” he said.
“This is how normally cricket is being played. Every time all seven batsmen don’t perform and maybe two or three just score runs and you just win the game.
“The guys who are not at the moment performing, we know that they are good enough players, and they can just come to the party in the next games.”
Pakistan reached 102-2 against India before the batting imploded with three wickets for one run before they limped through to 224, well short of India’s 300.
Misbah said moving him up the order from his number four slot was not the answer. “We just collapsed in the middle order, so it wasn’t a problem at the top. What we are missing, I think, is that we need to have better partnerships on a regular basis, whether it’s at the top, whether it’s in the middle order.
“Any pair who is batting, they need to just develop a partnership, and that’s what we missed in India’s game. After

losing the second wicket we just lost three wickets in nine balls and that cost us the game,” he said.
Although Pakistan are without proven match-winner Saeed Ajmal — who pulled out of the Cup because of his disputed spin bowling action — Misbah felt comfortable with his bowlers.
“It’s a little bit difficult when you are used to somebody (Saeed) for three or four years, but I think now our pacers are really doing well in the last two, three games,” he said.
“They are really coming to the party in the way they are bowling, especially in the death overs, improving, so we’ll have to live with that,” he said.
He said speedster Mohammad Irfan, whose form against India dropped away after he was twice warned for stepping on the wicket, had been working on his action in practice since then and “he’ll be fine in the next game.”
Before the tournament, Pakistan and the West Indies, along with South Africa and India, knew that on world rankings they should fill the four Pool B quarter-final slots ahead of Zimbabwe, Ireland and the United Arab Emirates.
But when Ireland reprised their giant-killer role to beat the West Indies in Nelson it became clear to Pakistan that they in turn could not afford to fall to a wounded Caribbean side determined to claw back lost points.
All-rounder and former West Indies captain Darren Sammy was blunt in his assessment of his side. “If we continue to play like that we won’t be here for long for sure,” he said after the four-wicket loss to Ireland.
The West Indies at least had a century maker in Lendl Simmons who scored 102 of their 304 against Ireland, but captain Jason Holder was unable to generate any venom in the bowling attack.
Ireland reached 273 for two before losing four quick wickets when the result was already beyond doubt. The two teams face similar problems. Unpredictable Pakistan are beset by a captaincy tussle involving incumbent Misbah and former leader Shahid Afridi.
There are also disciplinary issues with Afridi involved in a curfew breach before the tournament started, along with a number of other players, and he has been linked to a row with fielding coach Grant Luden.
On the field, Pakistan are short of leading paceman Umar Gul, ruled out of the World Cup because of injury.
In the West Indies camp, the loss to Ireland has put the spotlight on the selection of 23-year-old Holder as captain, and his need to win the respect of senior players, after a shake-up following a player revolt.
Sammy was involved in several on-field discussions during the Ireland match although he maintained afterwards Holder had his full support.
Chris Gayle, who is capable of changing a game when on form, has been critical of the make-up of the World Cup squad.
On the bowling front, they are without Sunil Narine who pulled out of the World Cup saying he needs more remedial work on his questionable bowling action.
The West Indies may be referred to as a side that has twice won the World Cup but in reality there is no comparison between this unit and the great Caribbean teams of the past.
The last time they reached the semi-finals was back in 1996 in which they were beaten by Australia. Pakistan, the 1992 champions, were semi-finalists at the last Cup in 2011.