Misbah’s side made it nine games unbeaten in the UAE capital by taking the final six West Indies wickets inside two sessions of play.
Spinner Yasir Shah was the star man and Misbah believes that his bowlers’ impact was nothing short of incredible considering the nature of the pitch, which was slow, flat and still a day away from becoming a more favourable spinning minefield.
“I don’t know, we always try to get a turning pitch, we get a little bit of turn for the bowlers, but the pitch here right now, we have been playing on it for five days and still there is not much turn in it for the bowlers,” said Misbah.
“So I give all the credit to the bowlers, it was a completely flat pitch, there wasn’t much on the pitch for any bowler to perform well. Even taking 20 wickets on a pitch like this is a huge achievement.
“I think the most important thing is that we won the match given the situation; the pitch was difficult to play on and it was difficult for the bowlers to dismiss players. It was really tough on bowlers, but at the end of the day we gave a satisfactory performance and won the match.”
Pakistan have sealed the series, but will they make it a whitewash in all formats against the West Indies in Sharjah? #BestofTest #PakvWI pic.twitter.com/Dutqm9TzAd
— ICC (@ICC) October 25, 2016
Veteran Misbah obviously expected different, electing to field three spinners in this Test as Zulfiqar Babar came back into the side for the first time in nearly a year alongside Yasir and Mohammad Nawaz.
Despite the pitch not providing the kind of assistance that selection craved, Misbah believed Pakistan got their personnel right.
“Here, you feel that the team lacks in all sorts of bowlers. Even if we had 10 bowlers that would not have been enough for us, considering the circumstances,” he said.
“Obviously, if you have a variety of bowlers in your team, you get a lot of help, but sometimes you don’t have all the resources, so you just make do with whatever you have and I think whatever we have right now are quiet useful and functioning properly.
“This is why not only are we winning matches, but scoring 20 wickets as well.”
The series win means Pakistan remain hot on the heels of India as the number one Test side in the world and Misbah is happy to see that run carry on and the evolution that they are continuing to undertake.
“So far the overall development of the team is quite satisfactory, the way we are winning matches and the way we are being consistent with our performance, it is quiet satisfying for me as a captain,” added the 42-year-old.
“Especially when you play Test cricket, the important thing is to bag as many victories as you can, that is the only thing that plays a huge role in developing the team and honing the skills of the players.
“That is how you move up with the team and I think that is something very important for our team. It is very important for the youngsters in the team.”
Man of the Match @Shah64Y is just the 2nd bowler to take 50 or more Test wickets in the UAE #howzstat #PakvWI pic.twitter.com/gZNbgnCyhD
— ICC (@ICC) October 25, 2016
