Misbah to retire after West Indies tour

LAHORE, Apr 6 (APP)- Pakistan test captain Misbah ul Haq said on Thursday
that he will be retiring from the game after three test match series against West Indies.
“I have decided to call it a day after finishing my last assignment
which is the tour of West Indies and I want to end it on a successful
note “, he told reporters here at a news conference at Gadaffi stadium.
The veteran batsman leads the Pak team during the three test series which
starts from April 21 and with his retirement announcement a curtain falls on his illustrious cricket career and also brings an end to the speculations on his cricket playing future.
“West Indies tour will be my last cricket event and I have already
conveyed my decision to the Chairman, Pakistan Cricket Board, Shaharyar M Khan “, he said adding ” Actually I have already decided to hang my shoes after the tour of West Indies and informed the PCB in this regard few days back “.
Misbah was appointed Test captain in October 2010 and retired from ODIs
and T20Is after the 2015 World Cup. He has played 72 Test matches so far and scored 4951 runs and is the seventh highest test run scorer of the country.
He said leading Pakistan team is a great honour and he always led from
the front to be a role model for the fellow colleagues.
“It was always my endeavor to bring glory for the country and during my
stint as captain with the team I always played my due role in elevating teams performance,”he asserted.
Misbah, who got the distinction of being one of the Wisden’s prestigious
Five Cricketers of the Year rejected a questioner that he is calling it a day under pressure from PCB.
“All such claims are wrong , in every player’s life a day comes when he
quits the game and I was planning to retire in 2015 in UAE after our series against England but I continued based on my and team’s performance and now it is appropriate time to leave,”said the Pak captain.
“It is my own decision and it is unfortunate that things are being
portrayed in a wrong manner that PCB has put pressure on me to retire
which is absolutely far from reality “,he said.
He dismissed another questioner that his continuation as captain for the
tour of west Indies was a part of deal between him and the PCB to pursue him to retirement.
“These are mere speculations and nothing else “,said Misbah.
He said he took the west Indies tour as a challenge as believes that he
can lead the side to success “We have not beaten them (West Indies) in their own back yard and I am confident that we can do so with a rousing display of collective team efforts and higher display of quality cricket “,he added.
Misbah said he always enjoy playing cricket and as captain he tries to
justify in the role of team leader showing good performance and by taking right decisions at right time during the matches.
“What ever I have achieved in my so far cricket career is because of the
cooperation I got from the PCB and from my teammates “,he said.
To a question, he said he has not yet decided about his future but
pointed out that he will continue playing domestic cricket for some time.
“Even to prepare myself for the tour of West Indies I played in the Quaid-e- Azam trophy grade two matches to gain full fitness and form to be there to inspire the team during the tough tour of West Indies”,he said.
He said it is too early to decide to take up a job in PCB or to impart
coaching as he is focusing on the tour of West Indies and after that he will be in a better position to concentrate on such matters .
“I think a lot about Pakistan cricket and I want to see it at the top
because cricket has given me everything “,he said.
He said success and failures go hand in hand and he learnt from these
two important aspects to build his cricket career.
“Definitely there are some my special performances which are always
there in my mind and one of them is to see team getting the number one status in test ranking and that is the most unforgettable memory which I believe will every stay with me “,said Misbah.
The test captain said winning the 2011 and 2015 World Cups were his
dreams which could not be fulfilled but he was overjoyed when the team won
the 2009 T20 world Cup.
“Another wish which could not come true was leading the team against
India and I also could not stand as a captain in my own backyard as I feel sometimes most the wishes do not come true or can not be fulfilled”.
He was of the view that Sarfraz Ahmad will fill the void after his
retirement as he has all the potential and talent to justify in the role of a captain .
“We must support him in all manners to see him in the role of a
successful captain “,he added.
“There were lot of ups and downs in my careers but I am contended the way
I led the side “,he maintained.
Misbah said Pakistan team is balanced and capable of winning the series
against West Indies and called upon the team members to produce best performance in all departments of the game.