Misbah: Pakistan relaxed ahead of Boxing Day Test

Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq said the tourists are confident but they are not getting ahead of themselves as they prepare to face Australia in Melbourne.

Published : Dec 25, 2016 14:17 IST

Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq
Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq
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Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq

Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq said the tourists are confident but they are not getting ahead of themselves as they prepare to face Australia in Melbourne.

The three-Test series moves to the MCG for the Boxing Day showdown, starting Monday, after Pakistan was cruelly denied by 39 runs in the opening match.

The impossible almost became possible as Pakistan fell agonisingly short in its record fourth-innings chase in the day-night Test in Brisbane.

> Read: Australia to field unchanged XI on boxing day

Buoyed by that performance with the pink ball at the Gabba, Misbah and Co. fancy their chances of levelling the series.

"The guys are relaxed and confident that they can perform well here," Misbah told reporters on Sunday.

> Video: Record-breaking Shafiq gears up for boxing-day Test

"You can see that everybody's spending a lot of time in the nets, working on the basics. They won't leave anything behind before we get into the second Test match.

"That's a good sign that we are confident but at the same time, we're focused and determined. I'm comfortable with the position we're in at the moment as individuals and as a team."

> Read: Pakistan looks forward to hard MCG pitch

The Test in Melbourne will see a return to the traditional red ball and Misbah is hoping for an improvement from his bowlers on Aussie soil.

"It's not just a challenge for the batsmen. It's a challenge for the bowlers as well," Misbah added. "The conditions are totally different here especially for the Asian teams.

> Read: Warner confident despite dip in form

"As a bowler you need to adjust to these conditions otherwise you are giving away too many runs and leaking too many boundaries and not putting any sort of pressure on the opposition.

"You need to be very precise with your lines and lengths in Australia because of the true bounce and pace. That's important for us as a bowling unit. To get 20 wickets is always a challenge. After the last Test match I think now the bowlers will have a better idea about where to bowl."

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