Pakistan’s most successful test captain and one of the finest batsmen over the past decade, Misbah-ul-Haq said that his only focus is to lead the side to success in the upcoming England tour as speculation about his retirement loomed.
The player was earlier expected to make a clear announcement regarding his future plans on Friday but latest reports suggest he might make a final decision after the tour as he held discussions with PCB.
“He has informed the PCB he will decide on whether he will continue to play Test cricket after the series in England,” the source said.
The 42-year old has retired from ODI cricket after the World Cup in Australia last year but the board compelled him to continue playing the longest format of the game. The pre-departure press conference did not leave any answers to the ongoing speculation as the player didn’t speak much about his future plans.
“Right now, I am just focusing on the four Tests in England because if we want to show everyone our top three ranking in Test cricket is not based on our wins in the UAE we need to put up a good show against England,” he said.
Misbah feels that the young side is capable of adapting to the conditions in England and had ruled out that past success against them doesn’t make Pakistan favorites in the tour.
“We have prepared hard for this series on similar pitches and I am banking on the fact that all our batsmen are now hardened Test campaigners,” he said. “Conditions do vary a lot in England and one session turns everything upside down so we are going to take it session by session. What we have achieved against England in the UAE in 2012 and 2015 does not matter now for us.”
Misbah has a good captaincy record against England as he had already won two series against them in his 6 years as captain. The team has managed a whitewash against England in 2012 followed by another series win last year in UAE. The tour will see the return of Mohammad Amir who was banned for match fixing the last time Pakistan toured England in 2010.