After guiding Pakistan from the ruins of the 2010 Lord’s spot-fixing scandal to their new position as the world’s second best Test side, Misbah-ul-Haq will delay a decision on his future as captain as he explores the possibility of playing county cricket next summer.
Misbah retired from one-day international cricket after the World Cup and with talks over a December series with India at an impasse, his next assignment for the national team would in theory not come until the four-Test series away to England next July.
The 41-year-old has been mulling over whether to call it a day before this tour, however, having previously stated a desire to retire from international cricket on a high rather than receive the tap on the shoulder from the selectors.
Such a removal does not look imminent, with the Pakistan Cricket Board having requested his continuation as captain after restoring trust in their cricket and compiling a record 20 Test wins since his appointment as captain five years ago in place of the disgraced Salman Butt.
Speaking after Thursday’s 127-run win over England in Sharjah, which secured a 2-0 series win and moved Pakistan to second in the world behind South Africa, the right-hander admitted the biggest challenge for him is now staying in form as a batsman with longer gaps in the schedule.
“There has been a lot of talk on [my retirement],” said Misbah. “I have some time to think about it. The cricket board chairman has requested me [not to retire] and I am thinking seriously about that. We have enough time for the series, and I can just rethink and plan what I am going to do in the next two three months.
Asked if the hunger is still there, Misbah replied: “Obviously it’s there, I love the game and want to play it. But it is difficult when you are not playing any competitive cricket for six, seven, eight months and suddenly you come and play against top players.
“I can feel that whenever the Tests come, the first game is always difficult and the body mechanism is not there and it takes one or two innings to settle.”
As such, reports in Pakistan claim Misbah is now pondering an early summer spell with an English county to prepare for Pakistan’s tour of England and there will likely be no shortage of sides interested, with the veteran having averaged 57 in Test cricket and scoring seven of his nine hundreds since his recall to the side in 2010.
