‘How can one defend such a performance?’: Misbah calls Pakistan’s series defeat a ‘worrying sign’ for him as head coach

Pakistan head coach Misbah ul Haq conceded that the series results showed that while England had the luxury of strong bench strength, Pakistan lacked in this area.

Pakistan head coach Misbah ul Haq on Wednesday confronted the media personnel after a humiliating 0-3 whitewash against a makeshift England team. He admitted that the series defeat against the hosts have left the players unsettled and the coaching staff extremely ‘worried’.

Misbah Ul Haq: File photo (PCB/Twitter)

England were forced to name a second-string squad following a Covid outburst in the bio-bubble after the conclusion of the Sri Lanka series. Many expected that Pakistan would have a chance to improve their record on English soil. However, a bunch of youngsters, led by Ben Stokes, turned the tables.

Pakistan batters failed to do well in the first two games. But when they put their best foot forward in the third ODI, the bowlers wobbled and let the hosts dominate. Despite setting a 332-run target, Babar Azam's Pakistan lost the final ODI by 3 wickets.

“We were satisfied that we were on the right track after doing well in the recent series but this series has unsettled us. It looks like we are standing from where we started but we have to find a way to move forward,” Misbah said during a virtual press conference.

“I don’t know why the team was totally off-colour in this series and lost its momentum but it is a very worrying sign for me as head coach. How can one defend such a performance? No one can defend our performance and I think as a team we are all responsible be it the players, coaches or support staff,” he added.

The head coach conceded that the series results showed that while England had the luxury of strong bench strength, Pakistan lacked in this area.

“First of all England has a great backup and the luxury of a strong pool of players that we don’t have. England had choices for this series and we have limitations at certain positions especially in the middle order spaces where no one has settled down for a while,” Misbah said.