Ul-Haq knows that Philander is absolutely unstoppable if he picks up a couple of wickets

Pakistan Test captain Misbah-ul-Haq has announced that the national team have to limit the impact South Africa pace bowler Vernon Philander has throughout the ongoing Test series, in which Pakistan are currently trailing 1-0.

Ul-Haq noted that by reducing the amount of damage Philander does, it will seriously improve Pakistan’s chances of levelling the series.

Ul-Haq also stated that Philander’s ability to swing the ball both ways makes him extremely dangerous, and the fact that South Africa are playing on home soil makes him that much more deadly.

The 38-year-old advised his batsmen to stick to the basics when it comes to facing Philander, whereby it is just a matter of defending and leaving good deliveries and latching on to anything short or overpitched and dispatching it to the boundary.

With South Africa already having been labelled as the clear favourites to win the series, ul-Haq mentioned that it made it that much harder for Pakistan to walk out of the country with a victory against the top Test team in the world under their belts.

Pakistan face South Africa in three Tests, which is set to be followed by two Twenty20 Internationals and five ODIs.