CENTURION: Pakistan head coach Misbah-ul-Haq said on Monday he believed the venues for two white-ball series in South Africa would suit his team, as they stepped up preparations after arriving in the country.

Misbah, speaking for the first time since Pakistan arrived in South Africa, said he looked forward to three One-day internationals and four Twenty20 Internationals, which will be shared between the Wanderers in Johannesburg and the SuperSport Park in Centurion in order to adhere to Covid-19 protocols.

The series starts with the first ODI is in Centurion on Friday.

“If I look back, when we used to come here and play, these two wickets, Centurion and Wanderers, we always enjoyed these pitches,” said Misbah, who captained Pakistan on their 2012-13 tour of South Africa. “The bounce and pace is very true and as a batsman you enjoy that,” he said.

“You get full value for your shots. Some of the players in this team have already played here and performed very well. Those previous performances and experiences definitely help you. Pakistan always have the luxury of good fast bowlers and I think that is the reason why we do well here.”

South Africa played a Test series and a T20 series in Pakistan recently and Misbah said the reciprocal series was important in times made difficult because of the Covid-19 pandemic when the calendar had been impacted by the crisis.

“It is our duty as different nations to keep going, keep helping each other and keep this game alive.”

Published in Dawn, March 30th, 2021*