Misbah reserves special praise for Bravo post first Test victory

Johannesburg [South Africa], Oct. 18 (ANI): Pakistan skipper Misbah-ul-Haq has heaped special praise for West Indies star all-rounder Darren Bravo, who scored a brilliant hundred to frustrate the opposition during the first Test of the three-match series at the Dubai International Stadium in Abu Dhabi. Bravo batted for almost seven hours during his heroic 116-run knock in the fourth innings of the match in addition to 87 runs of the second inning to run Pakistan close and his efforts were not lost on Misbah. "The way he handled Yasir Shah, that was really something special. He [Yasir] was turning the ball from roughs but he [Bravo] showed good defence and attacked him at times," Sport24 quoted Misbah as saying. "That was the main reason he neutralised Yasir for quite a long time but still Yasir managed to take wickets. Every passing ball was putting pressure but thankfully we managed to win the game. You should give credit to the opposition, they played really well and it was a good game in the end," he added. The Pakistan skipper further spoke about team's collapse on day four that brought the West Indies back into the game, saying, "It was tough for the team and for the captain. Certainly you were ahead of them for almost three and a half days but in one session you had given the advantage to the opposition. Maybe had we batted for another 15 overs, with 400 runs on board we could have got them out early." The Pakistan skipper was happy with most aspects of the first Test, however he pointed out that the pink ball became tough to bowl with in the evening as dew would cause the ball to swell. "A bit of dew in the evening session was affecting the ball. With the sogginess, the ball was getting softer so different factors contributed and helped the batsmen score runs. Spinners and fast bowlers will get more help and reverse swing will also be there in the dry weather. But in the evening the pink ball was getting wet and the seam was swelling and it got softer," Misbah said. The day-night fixture was Pakistan's tenth Test in Dubai, where they have won six matches and drawn and lost two each. The 56-run victory against West Indies, who were dismissed with 12 overs remaining in their chase of 346, was Pakistan's narrowest at the venue. The two sides will now play the second Test at Abu Dhabi starting from October 21. (ANI)