End of the Pakistan road for Misbah
MISBAH-UL-HAQ will hang up a set of his spikes after announcing he is to retire from international cricket after the series between Pakistan and West Indies.
The Pakistan captain was named one of Wisden’s five Cricketers of the Year, and steps away from the international game having led his country in 53 Tests.
In total, he has made 72 Test appearances scoring 4,951 runs at an average of a touch over 45. Misbah made the most recent of his ten centuries at Lord’s as Pakistan beat England in July.
The 42-year-old will retire from the international scene after the three-Test series between Pakistan and West Indies, with the first Test in Kingston starting on April 21.
Misbah said:“My cricket journey was very good. There were many hardships in my career but for now I am focusing on the present.
“There was no pressure on me. I was planning to quit after the England series in the UAE (in October 2015) but there were some things and I had to carry on playing.
“But overall it’s fine and not like I am under any pressure or somebody has dictated this to me. I have myself understood that this is it and it’s purely my own decision.”
Misbah, above, was appointed captain after just 19 Tests having made his debut in 2001. He was handed the reins in 2010 after predecessor Salman Butt was suspended and later jailed on spot-fixing charges, along with Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif.
Misbah retired from ODIs and T20Is after the 2015 World Cup and led Pakistan to the No. 1 Test ranking for the first time following their series against England.
He added:“A cricket career is like your life, it can’t be smooth. There are failures and successes, and you learn from it. The last six years had been like this.You get disappointed a bit with your failures but you don’t give up.
“You always try to learn from it and get better.You can’t win every day.You learn a lot from your failures.Whatever achievements I had I am quite happy with it. I enjoyed it a lot and I am very satisfied with whatever I did.”