Published 09:31 IST, November 20th 2019
Misbah-ul-Haq reveals how Pakistan plans to stop stellar Steve Smith on his tracks
Being a captain & batsman himself, Misbah said that every batsman had a blind spot & it was essential to find that spot & bowl in those areas consistently
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While it has already been an eventful year for Steve Smith after his return to cricket, the batting maestro would like to end the year on a higher note by shining at home as well. As Australia gears up to face Pakistan in their home turf, Pakistan has been battling to find a way to stop Steve Smith from going berserk and coach Misbah-ul-Haq disclosed what the visitors had in store for the number one ranked Test batsman. Australia's first Test against Pakistan on November 21 marks the return of Steve Smith to Test cricket in Australia a year after his ban.
Misbah's plan to silence Steve Smith
Being a captain and batsman himself, Misbah-ul-Haq said that every batsman had a blind spot and it was essential to find that spot and bowl in those areas consistently. Speaking to a media publication, Misbah said that while the Pakistan bowling line-up had stuck to the plans and hoped that the team would do so the same in the contest to build pressure on Steve Smith. Misbah reiterated the need to bowl consistently in the identified areas in order to push the batsman to make a mistake. The Pakistan coach also emphasized on bowling near the six to eight-meter spot on top of the off-stump where every batsman was forced to defend and said that consistency would be the key for the success of the Pakistan bowlers.
Pakistan considers debut for 16-year-old Naseem Shah
"The best thing about Naseem Shah is the control he has on his bowling," head coach Misbah-ul-Haq told cricket.com.au.
"He has a very good bowling action and knows which deliveries to bowl. He can bowl with a very good control. He knows his stuff and bowled really well in the first-class matches he played this season.
"He's bowled well here too and is the standout bowler for us. The way he's been bowling, he can be a match-winner for us," he added.
Pakistan squad
Azhar Ali (capt), Abid Ali, Asad Shafiq, Babar Azam, Haris Sohail, Imam-ul-Haq, Imran Khan senior, Iftikhar Ahmed, Kashid Bhatti, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Rizwan, Nusa Khan, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shan Masood, Yasir Shah
09:15 IST, November 20th 2019