Pakistan won't mind another crack at India: Misbah

Published March 18, 2015
Misbah says Pakistan will try to break the jinx of not beating India in World Cup matches. — AP/File
Misbah says Pakistan will try to break the jinx of not beating India in World Cup matches. — AP/File

Misbah-ul-Haq says his team won’t mind another crack at India, should both teams progress to the World Cup semi-finals, a report in The Times of India said.

Terming the possibility of another showdown between the two sides as a golden opportunity, Misbah said Pakistan would be glad if they win the semis and end up breaking the India World Cup jinx in the process.

“It will be another chance for us to go there with a positive frame of mind. We would take it like another opportunity to break the shackles as we have never beaten India in the World Cup,” he said.

Talking about India’s performance at the World Cup, Misbah said MS Dhoni's men had performed like defending champions so far.

“They are the defending champions and it is the biggest motivation for them. They have been playing in Australia for last three months which has helped them in preparations for the World Cup,” he said.

“India is quite an experienced team and have been playing the last couple of years with the same squad.”

India beat Pakistan by 76 runs in their opening match at Adelaide on February 15 but before the possibility of revenge presents itself, Pakistan would have to get past Australia in the quarter-finals on Friday.

The 40-year-old Misbah was confident of his team’s potential.

“Even though we have lost Mohammad Irfan, which is a big blow for us, we can do it. If we can beat South Africa which is one of the finest sides, then we can do it against Australia too.”

Misbah said a team’s form did not have much say in how it performed on a particular day.

“It’s all about performing well on the day of the game,” he said.

After suffering consecutive defeats at the hands of India and West Indies, the wins over Zimbabwe, United Arab Emirates, South Africa and Ireland breathed new life into Pakistan.

“The team has regained self-belief after four wins on the trot,” Misbah said.

“I can tell you this team wants to win it for our people. This tournament has always been important because people have high expectations from us and we want to win it for them.”

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