RAWALPINDI: Pakistan head coach Misbah-ul-Haq doesn’t want his team to get complacent ahead of this week’s second test match against South Africa.
The home side fought back from 27-4 in its first innings at Karachi to beat the Proteas by seven wickets and take a 1-0 lead the two-match series. The second test starts at Pindi Cricket Stadium on Thursday.
Yasir Shah and 34-year-old left-arm spinner Nauman Ali, playing in his first test match, shared 14 wickets between them against a struggling South Africa batting line-up.
“It was a much-needed victory,” Misbah said. “The team came back from a difficult position, but we don’t want to be complacent. South Africa is a tough team and we know they will come back hard at us.”
Since taking over as head coach in 2019, Misbah has lost three away test series — against Australia, England and New Zealand — but his Pakistan side has beaten less formidable teams like Sri Lanka and Bangladesh at home.
Misbah and bowling coach Waqar Younis were summoned by the Pakistan Cricket Board after the team lost a test series 2-0 in New Zealand last month. Both coaches were given another chance, but their longer-term futures were tied to the outcome of the current home series against South Africa.
“My focus is on this series,” Misbah said. “We will put all our energies in this test match and see how we can win. Other things are uncontrollable and there is no point in thinking about it.”
Middle-order batsman Fawad Alam’s dream return to test cricket played a key role in Pakistan putting up a formidable total of 378 in the first innings after South Africa was bowled out for 220 inside two sessions on the first day.
Left-handed Alam, playing in only his eighth test match in 11 years, made a gritty 109 and revived Pakistan after a top-order collapse with Faheem Ashraf and Azhar Ali also scoring useful half centuries.
But the conditions in Rawalpindi will be much cooler than they were in Karachi and Misbah said the team may change its bowling lineup to include four fast bowlers and only one spinner.
The dry pitch in Karachi gave the two Pakistan spinners plenty of assistance, but Misbah was not sure if he could get a similar type of wicket and conditions in Rawalpindi.
If Pakistan opts for a fourth fast bowler, Haris Rauf is a possible option to make his test debut in his hometown.
“Haris is bowling well with the old ball,” Misbah said. “If the need arise we will see him.”
Pakistan coach warns against complacency in 2nd test vs South Africa
https://arab.news/bwetc
Pakistan coach warns against complacency in 2nd test vs South Africa
- Home side fought back from 27-4 in its first innings at Karachi to beat the Proteas and take a 1-0 lead the two-match series
- Since taking over as head coach in 2019, Misbah has lost three away test series against Australia, England and New Zealand
Pakistan, other Muslim states raise alarm over Gaza situation after heavy flooding
- Cold winter rains have repeatedly lashed the sprawling tent cities, turning Gaza’s dirt roads into mud and causing damaged buildings to collapse
- The situation has been compounded by lack of sufficient humanitarian access, acute shortages of essential life-saving supplies and materials
ISLAMABAD: Foreign ministers of Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and other Muslim nations on Friday voiced concern over the situation in Gaza, following severe flooding triggered by heavy rains in the territory.
As 2026 begins, the shaky 12-week-old ceasefire between Israel and Hamas has largely ended large-scale Israeli bombardment of Gaza. But Palestinians are still being killed almost daily by Israeli fire, and the humanitarian crisis shows no signs of abating.
Cold winter rains have repeatedly lashed the sprawling tent cities over past weeks, turning Gaza’s dirt roads into mud and causing buildings damaged in Israeli bombardment to collapse. UNICEF says at least six children have now died of weather-related causes.
In a joint message, foreign ministers of Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Qatar, Türkiye, the United Arab Emirates, expressed their “deepest concern” over the situation, compounded by lack of sufficient humanitarian access, acute shortages of essential life-saving supplies, and the slow pace of the entry of essential materials required for the rehabilitation of basic services.
“The ministers highlighted that the severe weather has laid bare the fragility of existing humanitarian conditions, particularly for almost 1.9 million people and displaced families living in inadequate shelters,” the Pakistani foreign ministry said in a joint statement.
“Flooded camps, damaged tents, the collapse of damaged buildings, and exposure to cold temperatures coupled with malnutrition, have significantly heightened risks to civilian lives, including due to disease outbreaks, especially among children, women, the elderly, and individuals with medical vulnerabilities.”
The statement came a day after UNICEF said a 7-year-old, Ata Mai, had drowned Saturday in severe flooding that engulfed his tent camp in Gaza City. Mai had been living with his younger siblings and family in a camp of around 40 tents.
They lost their mother earlier in the war, according to the UN agency.
Video from Civil Defense teams, shown on Al Jazeera, showed rescue workers trying to get Mai’s body out of what appeared to be a pit filled with muddy water surrounded by wreckage of bombed buildings. The men waded into the water, pulling at the boy’s ankle, the only part of his body visible. Later, the body is shown wrapped in a muddy cloth being loaded into an ambulance.
Foreign minister of Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and other states appreciated the efforts of all United Nations (UN) organizations and agencies as well as non-government organizations (NGOs) in continuing to assist Palestinian civilians and deliver humanitarian assistance under extremely difficult and complex circumstances.
“They demanded that Israel ensure the UN and international NGOs are able to operate in Gaza and the West Bank in a sustained, predictable, and unrestricted manner, given their integral role in the humanitarian response in the Strip. Any attempt to impede their ability to operate is unacceptable,” the statement read.
The foreign ministers reaffirmed support to President Donald Trump’s plan for Gaza, with a view to ensuring the sustainability of the ceasefire, bringing an end to the war in Gaza, to secure a dignified life for the Palestinian people who have endured prolonged humanitarian suffering, and leading to a credible pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood.
“In this context, they stressed the urgent need to immediately initiate and scale up early recovery efforts, including the provision of durable and dignified shelter to protect the population from the severe winter conditions,” the statement read further.
“The ministers called on the international community to uphold its legal and moral responsibilities and to pressure Israel, as the occupying power, to immediately lift constraints on the entry and distribution of essential supplies including tents, shelter materials, medical assistance, clean water, fuel, and sanitation support.”
