Daily Times

LAHORE: Pakistan Test captain Misbahul Haq will quit international cricket after conclusion of a three-match series against the West Indies next month. Misbah made the announcement at a press conference here on Thursday, finally bringing to a close a long-running saga over his playing future. “It will be my last series and I had conveyed this to Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Shaharyar Khan quite some time ago,” Misbah said, ending months of speculation over his future. “The series against the West Indies is my last series and I will try to finish it on a high note,” the 42-year-old told reporters, adding that he had been under no pressure to retire. “I am satisfied. 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.”

The PCB paid tributes to the aging captain, with chairman Shaharyar saying they would honour him when he retires. “He has given a lot to Pakistan cricket,” Shaharyar said, echoing a flood of accolades on social media. Legendary paceman Wasim Akram said it would be ‘tough to fill the void.’ “A cricketing mind like him comes rarely,” Wasim said. “I have good memories of Misbah, he has brought positive things in Pakistan cricket as a leader in the last seven years,” the former skipper maintained. Misbah registered 10 Test series wins as a captain, which was the most by an Asian skipper. Last year he surpassed Indian duo of Saurav Ganguly and MS Dhoni, who both had won nine Test series each. For Pakistan, next to Misbah is Javed Miandad who
had led Pakistan in eight series victories.

Admired for his unflappable temperament in a Pakistan dressing room teeming with mercurial talents, Misbah, named as one of Wisden’s prestigious Five Cricketers of the Year on Wednesday, was handed the Test captaincy after a 2010 spot-fixing scandal in England which led to a ban on, among others, predecessor Salman Butt. Since his 2001 Test debut in New Zealand, Misbah has gone on to make 4951 runs from 72 matches at a 45-plus average. The top order batsman also played 162 one-dayers before quitting the format after the 2015 World Cup. Pakistan won 24 of their 53 Tests under Misbah and, for the first time, occupied the top Test rankings last year before a dip in form set in. Pakistan suffered six consecutive Test defeats and lost series in New Zealand and Australia, which triggered speculation about Misbah’s future as the Test captain. Many former Pakistan cricket heavyweights demanded he should step down after disastrous tour Down Under. It was Pakistan’s fourth consecutive 3-0 whitewash in Australia since 1999, and their 12th straight defeat.

As captain, Misbah’s batting average is currently 50.55, compared to his career average of 45.84, and eight of his ten Test centuries have come as captain. Misbah rated Pakistan’s rise to No 1 Test ranking as his best moment, the feat that earned him widespread acclaim throughout the cricketing world. Head coach Mickey Arthur had described Misbah as ‘integral’ to the Pakistan side. “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. With Pakistan, it was my dream that we win the 2011 and 2015 World Cups but it wasn’t to be. The best moment was when the Test mace came to Pakistan. The last two series were difficult, you do try overall but sometimes you are successful and sometimes you are not, so it’s part and parcel of your life. At the moment I haven’t thought about the future plans, you always try to do better but I haven’t yet decided,” he said.

Misbah has often been criticised for his defensive and conservative approach as captain, including by the local media, although he has stated that he would rather win a game being defensive than lose one being aggressive. He urged critics to support the Pakistan team and refrain from subjective criticism. “Personal criticism is not good for Pakistan. Instead of criticising personalities, it’s better if we start talking positively about Pakistan cricket. It’s always helpful for players and the country, otherwise being negative all the time give negative vibes and this affects players’ energy and performances. Overall maybe Pakistan doesn’t get much support, but we all, including me, make sure we as a country are behind our team and support our players so that morally they should go and fight in international matches.”

Misbah regretted that he couldn’t lead Pakistan against India during his Test career and also Pakistan couldn’t do well in the 50-over World Cups in 2011 and 2015. During his illustrious career, Misbah has shown to all and sundry that it isn’t enough to be talented. If you want to make it to the top, to be the best you can, to get the most out of yourself, you have to work hard, harder than you ever have before, harder than anyone else.