LAHORE – Test and ODI captain Misbahul Haq welcoming the resumption of cricketing ties between Pakistan and India said it was great news for millions of fans in South Asia.
“The resumption of the cricket series is welcome news for people and cricketers alike. The competition in such a series is so high that it’s important for the players and players from both the sides miss such matches and they want to be part of it,” Misbah said while talking to this scribe on Monday.
He said that series against India always played an important role not only in strengthening the relations of both the countries but also provide great entertainment to millions of fans.
“Not only Pakistani cricketers but also Indian players wait for Pak-India series which is more important than Ashes and it always proves very significant for the careers of many players as some get great boost and become national hero and some were fired due to bad performance,” he said.
When asked about their relations with Indian players, Misbah said: “Yes, we have very good relations with Indian player as cricket is like a family and we all are family members so we miss each other and when we play together, we even enjoy a lot despite being very aggressive.”
Pakistan T20 captain M Hafeez said people had high expectations from the team when they play against India.
“It is very good news for us as well as millions of cricket fans. PCB chairman Zaka Ashraf really worked hard for this and by the grace of Allah Almighty his efforts bore fruit and now we will play against India and provide cricket fans the moments which they were waiting for many years,” he said.
When asked are you ready for playing T20s against India as captain, Hafeez replied: “First of all, our all concern is on Twenty20 World Cup and we want to trying hard for it and want to bring laurels for the country. After that, we will think about T20 series against India and try to come up to the expectations of Pakistani fans.”
Talking about match against India in Asia Cup, he said: “We were tensed to play against India in Asia Cup semi-final and even we could not sleep at night thinking how to perform well and help the team to win this crucial match. So matches against India always play under pressure and if we play more and more matches against them, it will help reducing pressure and stress and both the teams will play well against each other.”
“I hope that the Indian team would also tour Pakistan and play with us to help Pakistan reviving international cricket here,” Hafeez concluded.