A great mystery surrounding the ongoing test series between England and Pakistan has been the eventual fate of Pakistani skipper Misbah Ul Haq. When Pakistan left for English shores over a month ago, the spotlight was on Misbah, as several sections within the Pakistani cricketing fraternity felt that the 42-year-old skipper could well announce his retirement post the competition of the test series.
The series so far has been underwhelming for the Pakistanis, with just one match remaining. After getting off to a fabulous start at Lord’s, the visitors were crushed at Manchester and Birmingham, and now face a massive task to level the series at The Oval. With an all-important tour of Australia to follow later this year, it will be interesting to know what Misbah does at the end of this series.
When quizzed about his retirement, Misbah said that he wasn’t too worried about the matter. “I don’t have that sort of fear otherwise, I would have retired long ago,” Misbah said. “I am always up for challenges and never thought of the results. I believe in just looking at the challenges and trying hard.”
“It’s really difficult for me to leave the team on these difficult tours,” Misbah quoted. “That’s why I’m here on this tough series. I’ll be looking forward to that Australia tour, but let’s see how it goes after this series, and how I plan my future. “That could be really hard for someone young – even as a batsman to replace me in Australian conditions – and obviously, it would be a challenge for a young captain,” the Pakistani skipper said.
“I will keep trying throughout this Test and if Pakistan needs me afterwards, that’s another point. I will think about that after the series but for the moment this is important for me and the Pakistan team. I will just go about this Test match,” an optimistic Misbah concluded.