Misbah sides with Waqar

Former skipper Misbahul 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," Misbah said on Monday.
Pakistan lost the first ODI by 79 runs and suffered seven-wicket loss in the second as Bangladesh registered their first-ever series win over their rivals.
Misbah, who retired from ODI cricket after leading Pakistan to the quarterfinals 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. "It's not easy for Saeed Ajmal to be the same again within a short time," Misbah remarked.

Meanwhile, former skipper Mohammad Yousuf has blamed the Pakistan Cricket Board and the team management, especially coach Waqar Younis for the defeat.

"I don't blame the new captain, Azhar Ali nor the players. I blame those who have been sitting in power for the last many months and have made all the wrong decisions, which have today led us to this stage," Yousuf said.

"I blame all the board officials, the coaches at the national cricket academy who have done nothing to develop new players and the team management, especially national team head coach Waqar Younis," he added.
Yousuf questioned Younis's attitude.

"Today we are facing real problems because of a coach who has got a big attitude issue. If any player has any disciplinary issue he must be spoken to. That is the job of the management to ensure that the best players are motivated to play for the country," he said.
At present, Waqar is one of the most unpopular persons in Pakistan cricket and sources said that even the new selection committee was not happy with the way he had picked up the playing XI for the first two games against Bangladesh.

"Chief selector, Haroon Rasheed has already had a word with Waqar on telephone on Monday and made it clear to him that the selectors and coach needed to be on the same page," the source said.