LAHORE: Member National Selection Committee Tauseef Ahmed believes that the absence of skipper Misbah-ul-Haq will be felt by the team in the second Test against Kiwis.
“He is an experienced batsman, who has been performing constantly for the past several years. The team will feel his absence,” Tauseef told APP on Tuesday.
Misbah was given a one-match suspension by the ICC for Pakistan’s slow over rate during the first Test against New Zealand last week, meaning he will not be able to play the second Test in Hamilton. The Pakistan captain, however, was already set to miss the Hamilton Test, after returning home on Sunday evening following the death of his father-in-law.
Tauseef said that Misbah was a quality batsman, who had been leading the team from the front. He said opening batsman Sharjeel Khan might get a chance in the second Test.
“Sharjeel is an explosive opening batsman, who can devastate any bowling line. I think he will be playing the second Test,” he said.
Tauseef said he was expecting better performance from Pakistan in the second Test stating, “Our players were unable to play any practice match ahead of the first Test due to rains. They were also not fully acclimatized with the conditions there. But now I believe they are settled and will put up a good show,” he added.
