KARACHI  - Pakistan coach Mohsin Khan had to stop his players from going to the ground for training, a day after they had defeated England by 10 wickets inside three days in the first Test.
"It just shows the new positive approach of our team. The players wanted to have a training session one day after the Test ended but I told them better they take two days off and relax," Mohsin said from Dubai.
The former Test player said he was deeply impressed with the motivation of the players to do well against England. "The best part is they are enjoying their cricket and the training sessions." "But I have told them that the first Test is now part of history forget about it and look ahead to the remaining matches," he added. The Pakistan coach said he had no doubt in his mind that England was a very professional and hardened side perfectly capable of making a comeback in the series.
"I have told the players to be prepared for a harder Test in Abu Dhabi because they will come hard at us and we will have a long way to go before we can win this series," he added.
"Nowadays so much international cricket is being played and the competition is so tough that you win a match and the celebrations end the same day. The next day is a new beginning and that is how teams can remain at the top."
Mohsin said he was pleased with the approach of his players who were now hungry to continue their winning streak and were backing each other.
"They now relish being called a top team due to their performances and they are proud of this. They are now trying to be more consistent and strong in their performances," he said.
The coach also had a lot of praise for the captain, Misbah-ul-Haq. "He has led the side well not only on but off the field as well. He communicates very well with the players and they respond to him. They now take pride in the fact that their victories are bringing joy to the Pakistani people everywhere in the world," Mohsin said.
"But we need to work much harder and get more professional before we can claim to be among the best sides in the world. It is still a long way to go."
Mohsin said the second Test in Abu Dhabi would be a tough one but Pakistan has the advantage of having played a lot of cricket there and knew the conditions well. "Many people believe that batting is easy on the pitches in Dubai or Abu Dhabi but that is not true the pitches are slow and sluggish and batting can be a big challenge."
He said Pakistan's biggest advantage was that they had bowlers to bowl out sides twice in a match. "The good thing is every bowler is capable of delivering match winning performances at the right time. But what we have to guard against complacency and be prepared to play under pressure. The pressure is now on us as we upset the number one test side."