Lahore:Pakistan captain Misbahul Haq said his side will deserve to be the world\u2019s top-ranked Test team after they came from behind to draw a four-match series 2-2 in England.
\nTheir 10-wicket thrashing of the hosts in the fourth and final Test at The Oval on Monday gave Pakistan, currently third in the standings, a chance of climbing to the top of the table.
\nBut for that to happen later this month they need Sri Lanka to win 2-0 or 3-0 at home to Australia, coupled with a 2-0 or 2-1 series win for India away to the West Indies.
\nPakistan\u2019s achievement is all the more impressive as they have not played a Test series on home soil since an armed attack on Sri Lanka\u2019s team bus in Lahore in 2009 turned the country into a no-go area for the world\u2019s leading Test nations.
\nThe United Arab Emirates has since become their adopted base.
\nBut for all their success in conditions similar to those on home soil, Pakistan often find themselves facing in the dispiriting position of playing before meagre crowds rather than in front of their own passionate supporters.
\n\u201cThis team deserves that (going to number one) for six years of no cricket at home, sometimes people think it\u2019s easy \u2014 the UAE suits us, we win \u2014 but just getting every day away from the country, without family and friends and all games out of Pakistan, it\u2019s really difficult,\u201d Misbah told reporters at The Oval on Monday after Pakistan won with more than a day to spare.
\n\u201cIt\u2019s mentally tough \u2014 I\u2019ve only seen my mother and sister once in a year, some friends I haven\u2019t seen for three or four years.
\n\u201cIt\u2019s not easy, given those circumstances but the team is playing competitive cricket.
\n\u201cI am really proud of them and this team really deserves to be number one.\u201d
\nPakistan\u2019s success at The Oval \u2014 which was achieved on the 69th anniversary of the country\u2019s foundation as an independent state \u2014 was built on a brilliant 218 by Younus Khan, a hundred from Asad Shafiq and five second-innings wickets for leg-spinner Yasir Shah.
\nIt was an especially impressive result given that after their 75-run win in the first Test at Lord\u2019s \u2014 where 42-year-old skipper Misbah made a hundred \u2014 Pakistan had suffered heavy defeats, by 330 and 141 runs, at Old Trafford and Edgbaston respectively.
\nBut Misbah was even happier with his side\u2019 conduct on their first tour of England since a controversial trip in 2010 saw often strained Anglo-Pakistani cricket relations sink to an all-time low.
\nThat tour featured the infamous \u2018spot-fixing\u2019 Test at Lord\u2019s where then captain Salman Butt, pace bowler Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif were all given five-year bans and jail terms for deliberately bowling no-balls.
\nThis year\u2019s series saw Amir make his Test return at Lord\u2019s and he had to deal with the odd crowd shout of \u201cno-ball\u201d.
\nBut there were no on-field flare-ups between Misbah\u2019s men and an England side led by Alastair Cook.
\n\u201cCricket matches are won and lost but to win audience, people, supporters \u2014 that\u2019s important,\u201d said Misbah, who took over as captain six years ago soon after the spot-fixing scandal.
\n\u201cThis series has been (played) in good spirits, both teams fought well.
\n\u201cThere were no off field issues \u2014 we are happy to conclude on a pleasing note, 2-2, everyone enjoyed it, we made friends on and off the field.\u201d
\nCook added: \u201cIt\u2019s been a great series to be part of, two good teams playing good cricket and for once with Pakistan and England we\u2019ve just talked about the cricket.\u201d
\nAmir took 12 wickets in the series at an expensive average of 42 but his figures would have been far better had Pakistan held all the chances the left-arm quick created.
\n\u201cHe did OK \u2014 he was unlucky also, a lot of catches (five) were dropped off his bowling,\u201d said Misbah.
\n\u201cBut overall his behaviour and attitude and commitment helped the Pakistan team.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Lahore:Pakistan captain Misbahul Haq said his side will deserve to be the world\u2019s top-ranked Test team after they came from behind to draw a four-match series 2-2 in England. Their 10-wicket thrashing of the hosts in the fourth and final Test at The Oval on Monday gave Pakistan, currently third in the standings, a chance […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1427,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1387","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-sports"],"yoast_head":"\n