Johannesburg: Former Pakistani cricket stars have reportedly hailed the team`s impressive victory over South Africa in the first Test at Abu Dhabi and hoped that the win will lift the morale of the team and the fans.
Misbah-ul Haq`s men have bounced back from an embarrassing Test loss to minnows Zimbabwe last month to defeat South Africa by seven wickets in the first game of their two-Test series.
According to Sport24, former Test spinner Iqbal Qasim said that the victory should cheer up Pakistan`s passionate but long-suffering fans as their Zimbabwe loss had left a bad taste in everyone`s mouth, although he added that Misbah must be prepared for a tough response when the second Test starts in Dubai on October 23.
Agreeing with Qasim, former captain Rashid Latif credited Misbah`s shrewdness for the victory despite the current skipper often being criticised for his conservative approach to batting and captaincy.
Latif further said that Misbah took a bold decision of dropping Abdur Rehman and Rahat Ali despite their taking wickets in Zimbabwe in favour of new opener Shan Masood due to the conditions in the UAE, while former batsman Basit Ali backed Misbah to prove his detractors wrong and seal the series in Dubai.
According to Ali, Misbah has proved that he is the man to lead Pakistan despite being criticised `right, left and centre` by `armchair critics`.
