KARACHI: Former skipper Misbah-ul-Haq has defended the poor performance of Pakistan cricketers in the opening two One-day Internationals against Bangladesh.

“This is a young team and needs more time to improve under a new captain Azhar Ali,” said Misbah on Monday.

Pakistan lost the first ODI by 79 runs and suffered seven-wicket loss in the second one-dayer as Bangladesh registered their first series win over their rivals in two decades.

Read: Misery for Pakistan as Bangladesh seal historic series win

Misbah, who retired from ODI cricket after leading Pakistan to the quarter-finals in the World Cup, believed the team needed some time to settle down.

He said Azhar just took the reins of captaincy and it was not easy to turn the things around overnight.

Misbah said the team was undergoing rebuilding process and it would take some months to develop.

Commenting on Saeed Ajmal, he said the off-spinner was staging a comeback after eight months when he was suspended by the International Cricket Council for illegal action.

Ajmal has been included in the side after remodeling his action and getting cleared by the ICC.

“It’s not easy for Saeed Ajmal to be the same again within a short time,” Misbah remarked.

He complimented Bangladesh for their first series win over Pakistan.

“Bangladesh is a tough team in their own conditions and they have improved a lot,” he pointed out.

Published in Dawn, April 21st, 2015

On a mobile phone? Get the Dawn Mobile App: Apple Store | Google Play