Misbah continues to dodge retirement plans
dubai — Test captain Misbah-ul-Haq said that he will decide on his future after returning to Pakistan.
Misbah has been contemplating retirement since last year but the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Shahryar Khan had requested him to remain at the helm. But after a disappointing tour of New Zealand and Australia, there have been calls for him to bow out of the game.
And Misbah said he would take a call at the end of the HBL Pakistan Super League (PSL). With the defending champions Islamabad United, the team that he captained in the PSL, ousted from the tournament, Misbah was asked if he had made a decision.
And the 42-year-old laughed and said: “I don’t understand what is that you want to hear from me.”
Pakistan are set to embark on a two-month tour of the Caribbean at the end of March. They are scheduled to play two T20 Internationals, three One Day Internationals and three Tests.
The Test segment begins in mid-April with Pakistan playing the first Test in Kingston, Jamaica from April 22 to 26. The second Test is pencilled in for April 30 to May 4 and will be played out in Bridgetown, Barbados. The third and final Test is in Roseau, Dominica from May 10 to May 14.
With only little time left, Misbah said that he would meet with Shahryar Khan before making a decision. “I was asked if I would go as captain or as a player and I think this decision is left to the cricket board. I have to decide whether I want to continue playing or not. Obviously, the final authority is the cricket board regarding who is the captain and who is not,” he said.
“I will decide soon enough. I’m also grateful that the cricket board and the chairman have given me so much of respect for the fact that they have left the decision to me. And I’m really honoured by that. Obviously, I will make a decision soon because only little time is left. “I will return to Pakistan and I will meet the chairman and whatever the final decision is, I will announce it,” added Misbah.
james@khaleejtimes.com