Ecstatic after team’s crushing victory over England at The Kia Oval to level the four-match Test series 2-2, Pakistan skipper Misbah-ul-Haq believes his side deserves to be number one in the ICC Test rankings.
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England were bundled out 253 with lead of just 39 which Pakistan wasted little time in knocking off. Azhar Ali sealed the win with a towering six off Moeen Ali.
A rampant Yasir Shah has fired Pakistan to a comprehensive 10-wicket victory in the final Test at The Oval, securing a 2-2 series stalemate with England.
Younis Khan scored a double century in Pakistan’s first-innings 542 – a lead of 214 – after England was dismissed for 328.
Even when Bairstow and Moeen Ali were going strong, after a nothing shot by Gary Ballance, England never looked like escaping.
Jonny Bairstow and Moeen Ali tried to fix the damage with a 65-run partnership but once leg-spinner Yasir Shah dismissed England’s first innings centurion Ali for 32, the writing was on the wall for England.
The Pakistan team had not played a single worldwide Test series on the home soil since Sri Lanka’s team bus in Lahore faced an armed terror attack in 2009.
The off-spinner s11 wickets in the Pakistan series came at an expensive average of 46.54 apiece and denied Cook the control he wanted in the field.
Pakistan remain third in the world Test rankings but, following this win, could rise to number one if results in Sri Lanka and the West Indies go their way.
England started day four 88-4 after Yasir had taken three late wickets to give Pakistan the upper hand, but Ballance and Bairstow showed early resolve to frustrate the tourists.
Then came Chris Woakes’ run-out soon after lunch, setting off for a faulty single on Bairstow’s call and short of getting back when the bowler Wahab’s throw on the turn from short mid-on was a direct hit.
“We can’t afford to drop as many catches as we have in this series if we want to bowl sides out on good wickets like this one here”, he said.
If so, on top of the new pavilion, a copy of the Father Time that stands at Lord’s should be erected, but adapted so it is an effigy of Misbah who bends down to remove the bails – if, that is, the oldest Test cricketer of our time ever ceases to play.
“We’ve probably got around a month before we get together and discuss the next Test series, so there will be some tough decisions to be made”.
“With the catching this summer, we’ll need to go back to basics and work incredibly hard again”, Cook said.
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“It will get down to who is out there who can take their places – are they ready to play Test cricket, have they got what it takes?” he asked.
