IN PICS: "Misbah way" puts Pakistan on course for series win

Barnaby Read 17:25 24/10/2016
Pakistan once again were on top.

Pakistan laid the foundations of a Misbah-ul-Haq blueprint for victory on day four of the second Test against West Indies in Abu Dhabi on Monday, a Test and series win looming large in a most familiar set of procedures.

The “Misbah Way” has been built on his uncanny knack of winning the toss, posting a draining large total across two days, bowling sides out with a deficit, before putting the game beyond them second time around and declaring with enough time to bowl opposition out with the game desparingly beyond them.

In Dubai the only glitch was Pakistan’s second innings collapse that gave West Indies hope but their 345 run advantage was still 56 runs too many. This time they had their feet 455 runs further over the threshold than their opponents.

The only veer away from Misbah’s usual plan was that his side didn’t bat slightly longer on day four and push their total beyond 500, but the Pakistan’s confidence in having enough runs on the board to launch a sustained attack is sound reasoning. As you expect with Misbah, of course.

Across the first session on day four, Azhar Ali’s wicket was the only Pakistan one to fall, giving West Indies’ Miguel Cummins a first of the series in his 57th over across the two Tests. It is a paltry return for a new ball bowler.

Asad Shafiq [69*] and Younis Khan [29*] saw their side to the break with ease, the former continuing a remarkable run of form that includes three fifties and a century in his last five Test innings.

The Misbah Way

  • Win the toss, bat first and score big
  • Bowl out opposition with first innings deficit
  • Bat them out of it in second innings
  • Bowl them out on fifth day as pitch deteriorates

His growing assuredness in the Pakistan middle-order is encapsulated by the sheer volume of runs he has committed to their cause. Shafiq’s 1,120 runs at 51.22 since 2015 has only been bettered by 13 players in world cricket over the past two years, two of which are Azhar and Younis and all bar Azhar have played more Tests than Shafiq in that period.

At Pakistan’s declaration, Misbah was able to apply his formula of restraint and sustained pressure from seamers and the twisting of the knife from his spinners.

You can set your watch to Misbah’s plans and, sure enough, they were steadily being put into effect.

By tea West Indies were two down and in need of another 370 runs for an unlikely win, four sessions to bat for an equally unlikely draw and the game heading towards a far more inevitable Pakistan win that would maintain their unbeaten record in Abu Dhabi.

Yasir Shah created the early breakthrough before Rahat Ali took the huge scalp of Darren Bravo, the West Indies colossus in their fighting fourth innings in Dubai.

In his absence, Kraigg Brathwaite shouldered the responsibility and reached a composed 11th Test half century with few demons emerging from the pitch, as is so often the case on the sub continent where decks tend to come alive in the evening.

Initially, the track wasn’t misbehaving but Pakistan still chipped away, Marlon Samuels the first West Indian of the final session to give it away as he hit one straight back to the grateful Yasir.

The dismissal looked to invigorate both bowler and the wicket, Yasir finding the assistance he craved just an over later as he ripped one past Jermaine Blackwood’s off-stump, providing a stark realisation of the challenge West Indies faced.

Brathwaite perished soon after, Mohammad Nawaz successfully overturning yet another on-field decision to remove the opener for 67 and ensure Pakistan’s victory is surely a matter of time on day five with six further wickets required for yet another win artfully created in Misbah’s image.

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