Pakistan head coach Misbah-Ul-Haq said that the upcoming limited-overs tour of England is an important tour for the Men in Green, keeping in the mind the forthcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021.
England and Pakistan are scheduled to play three ODIs and as many T20Is, starting on July 8 followed by the five T20Is and two Test matches against the West Indies beginning on July 27.
Ahead of the important white-ball series in England, Misbah said it is a big opportunity for Pakistan to play against the world-class team to see their strength ahead of the T20 World Cup 2021.
Misbah said in a virtual press conference: “England is always an important tour for us especially with the T20 World Cup just a few months away. We know England is a force in the white-ball format so it is a big opportunity for us to play against them.”
The head coach is also looking forward to seeing spectators back into the ground after a long time due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He added, “We came here last year too, but when there are spectators at the ground, the atmosphere becomes different altogether and I can feel that.”
The former Pakistan captain continued, “I am not sure whether we can go out or meet friends here but we are being in quarantine for the last seven days which were tough days but we will start practice tomorrow.
As a head coach, I would prefer to be in the lockdown, as it keeps us together as a team, no matter we are in a team room, meal room, or on the ground. Last year when we came here, we were cut off from our families but the whole team became a family.”
Misbah also hopes that the seven-day practice in Derby will be very helpful for his players to back in their form ahead of the white-ball series in England.
He signed off by saying, “We must understand that form is not permanent so we will try to utilize this isolation time to bring back their (players) form. We are looking forward to a competitive cricket against the host nation. The good thing is that our bench strength is strong enough to counter any team in any conditions.”
(With ANI Inputs)
