Misbah-ul-Haq lauded Mohammad Rizwan, Shan Masood and Shadab Khan for their excellent fitness levels
Image courtesy of: ESPNcricinfo
Pakistan head coach and chief selector Misbah-ul-Haq has praised wicketkeeper-batsman Mohammad Rizwan, opener Shan Masood and spinner Shadab Khan for their fitness levels.
This comes after Rizwan was named Man of the Match for his knock of 72 in the second Test against England in Southampton, which ended as a draw.
Masood, meanwhile, batted for almost eight hours when he struck a career-best 156 in the first Test in Manchester.
As for Shadab, Misbah called him “one of the fittest guys in our team”.
“Fitness has been an important part of our strategy as a team since I took on the role of head coach last September and we have seen the benefits in the two Tests so far,” Misbah wrote in his column for the Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) website.
“The players have taken ownership of their fitness levels and they should be given credit for that, especially after three months at home during the Covid-19 pandemic. They know having supreme fitness will help them to perform under pressure.
“Mohammad Rizwan is a great example of that in the way he ran between the wickets and batted with the tail. Shan Masood also showed it in the first Test, batting for almost eight hours, and running really well with Shadab Khan. The way they stole quick singles is something that you don’t see much in Test cricket and certainly not from a Pakistan team. The partnership brought us back into the game in Manchester and it was purely down to fitness. Shadab is one of the fittest guys in our team.”
The third Test between England and Pakistan gets underway on Friday in Southampton.