Criticism after New Zealand series is justified: Misbah

LAHORE   –   Pakistan head coach Misbah-ul Haq has accepted the criticism from the nation after his team was badly defeated in New Zealand by 2-0 in Test and 2-1 in T20I series, saying the fans have every right to feel saddened and let their feelings known. Speaking at the PCB podcast here on Thursday, Misbah said: “The criticism after New Zealand series is justified because criticism comes from those who have faith in the team’s ability. In the first Test, we fought, took the match to the final five overs, and demonstrated our potential even in a tough situation. “Once the fans expect you to put up a fight but you don’t then their criticism is valid. We delivered less than our ability. We had chances and could have done better but we couldn’t take advantage and lost,” he added. The head coach further said: “Of course, we are sad and disappointed. When you don’t live up to expectations, you feel disappointed. “Dropping catches has been a problem for us in the past and on this tour too, this was our biggest problem. The missed chances made a big difference in the series. We need to improve our fielding,” he added. Misbah said the team management will analyse the mistakes made in the New Zealand series before finalising any changes for the upcoming home series against South Africa. “We will look at making changes according to the home conditions and the South African team. We may also consider top performers from the ongoing Quaid-e-Azam Trophy for the South African series,” he said.