Misbah-ul-Haq was looking for consistency while Michael Clarke was hoping to score some runs in the second and final Test between Pakistan and Australia, starting in Abu Dhabi on Thursday (October 30).
Pakistan beat Australia by a big 221-run margin in the first Test in Dubai and now seek their first series win over Australia for 20 years.
Misbah, however, was concerned with the lack of consistency of his team. “The complaint people have with us is that we don’t play consistent cricket, so we have to focus on consistent performance in this match,” said Misbah, who stood to equal the record of 14 Test wins – the most by a Pakistan captain, held by Imran Khan and Javed Miandad – if Pakistan were to win in Abu Dhabi.
Misbah, however, was focussed on the job. “It will be very important because we have not won a series against Australia for a long time, we have a very good chance to win and that can win back the confidence (of the supporters),” said Misbah. “I think credit must be given to the bowlers that they did not make us feel (Saeed) Ajmal’s absence (in Dubai).”
Misbah said the pitch at Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi would also suit his team: “This pitch looks a bit different, it’s normally different from the Dubai pitch because it’s harder and has pace and bounce, but it looks good and if we look at our strength then it looks good for us.”
Clarke, meanwhile, refused to accept that there was extra pressure on him for not scoring runs in the first Test. “It doesn’t feel any different to any other Test match to me. My expectations are always very high for myself personally to make sure I’m scoring runs and for this Australian team to have success,” said Clarke, who managed just 2 and 3 in the Dubai Test.
“I don’t feel any more expectation or any more pressure. It’s about playing our best cricket over five days and if we do that I’m confident we can win the Test match.”
Clarke said he was ready to take risks to try and pull level in the two-Test series. “Sometimes you’ve got to be willing to risk losing to win. We have to win this Test match to level the series. If that’s not the case and we draw the Test match or we lose, we’ll deal with that as well,” he said.
Clarke hoped his team would showcase the necessary attitude to cope with spin, their main weakness in Asian conditions over the years. “Facing spin in these conditions, it’s as much about your attitude as it is how you actually play it. Mentally, if we can have that positive intent, we’re halfway there towards having success against spin bowling,” he argued.
Australia have lost their last five Tests in the subcontinent, a run that started with the 4-0 rout in India early last year.
Must be willing to risk losing to win, says Clarke
