Miandad backs Pakistan team, asks to rectify in the games ahead

Players should keep their morale and passion high for the country, Miandad said.

ISLAMABAD (APP) – Batting legend Javed Miandad has backed the Pakistan team, saying the Green-shirts haven’t lost the series against England yet, and should rectify their mistakes in the games ahead.

“Winning or losing are part of the game. Don’t worry, just rectify the mistakes you have done. Sit together and identify them and don’t repeat.

“Players should keep their morale and passion high for the country as the whole nation was watching them with high hopes,” he said in a video on his YouTube channel.

Miandad, who was made the Pakistan team captain when he was 22 years, after Asif Iqbal’s retirement following a series loss in the 1979–1980 tour of India, also felt disappointed by seeing the 2017 Champions Trophy winning captain Sarfraz Ahmed, perform the 12th-man duties.

“People all over the world have disliked the incident. I had also been the captain and I feel disappointed as Sarfraz should have been given respect. I tell this to the management and Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), if there is no need of a senior player then he should be sent back. This was not a good tradition set,” he said.

Miandad, who scored 8,832 runs in 124 Tests, said when the fourth innings was about to start of the Pakistan-England first Test, Pakistan had the winning runs on the scoreboard.

“PCB Media Director who is a brother to me, called me and asked whether I was watching the match. I said yes and told him to deliver my message to the captain which was to take the start from the spinners not pacers. Do the leg-break from the new ball,” he claimed.

Miandad said he used to try this in the past. “I have tried the new ball from late legendary spin wizard Abdul Qadir and in the banks also. I know the Old Trafford wicket, it gets rough day by day,” he said and added a spinner was lethal on this wicket.

Miandad, who scored 7,381 runs in 233 ODIs, said it was a spinning wicket and was difficult as you can’t judge the new ball. “Spinners could have taken wickets easily.

I gave my advice as I’m a Pakistani and my services were always there for my country and anybody could call me for my country,” he said.