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Lahore - Pakistan captain Misbah-ul Haq on Wednesday lashed out at critics for calling him a slow scorer and insipid leader, saying his run-scoring this year spoke for itself.
His men lost their five-match one-day series against South Africa 4-1 on Monday, after the batting failures that have dogged them for the past 18 months sunk them once again.
While all around him have crumbled, Misbah has emerged as the world's leading scorer in one-day cricket this year with 1,119 runs in 26 matches.
And that, he believes, should silence the critics who say he bats too conservatively. His sedate style has earned him the nickname "Tuk-tuk".
"I think all those who blame me that I don't play for the team should open their eyes and take notice of the stats, they should realise the truth," Misbah told reporters at Lahore airport.
In the first ODI against the Proteas, at Sharjah, Pakistan somehow contrived to throw away five wickets with just 17 needed to win, losing by a single run.
They collapsed again in the fourth match in Abu Dhabi to lose by 28.
Misbah said poor batting let Pakistan down.
"One day we fail to score 10 off the last 50 balls and then the other day we fail to score 42 off 36 balls and these are serious failures," he said.
Pakistan failed to bat out their 50 overs in all five matches against South Africa.
"If you perform like this then it's difficult to win matches at the international level," said Misbah, who is not in the team for the Twenty20s.
Pakistan take on South Africa in the first of two Twenty20 internationals in Dubai on Wednesday. The second match is also in Dubai on Friday.
Pakistan then tour South Africa for two T20s and three one-day games between November 20-30.
