Misbah-ul-Haq regrets not leading Pakistan against India in Test cricket

04/07/2017

Misbah-Ul-Haq has announced his retirement from Test cricket after the upcoming series against West Indies and said that he regrets not leading Pakistan against India in the longest format while expressing shock at the fixing scandal that rocked the Pakistan Super League.

“What can one say? It is not in our hands but yes it is my regret that I couldn't lead the team against India. Especially when our Test side was doing so well," Zee News quoted Pakistan’s long-serving Test captain Misbah as saying.

"It didn't happen all these last seven-eight years. Although I have played in India and I know their people want to see both teams play regularly against each other."

Misbah had previously retired from the shorter formats of the game.

"I have achieved a lot in my career that is why I decided to retire from T20 internationals in 2012 and than ODIs after the World Cup 2015. And now I think after taking everything into count this is the best time for me to also retire from Test matches," the 42-year-old said.

Misbah described not winning the 2011 and 2015 World Cups as his “unfulfilled ambitions”. Pakistan were beaten by India in the semi-finals in 2011 and by Australia in the quarter-finals in the following edition.

"It is a personal decision and the Pakistan Cricket Board has nothing to do with it. I have been thinking about it for a while now," he said of his decision to retire.

"We became number one in Test rankings, they (India) also achieved this pinnacle and that too without playing against each other. I just hope bilateral ties resume as soon as conditions improve."

Misbah said retirement had crossed his mind at the end of 2015 but the tours of England, New Zealand and Australia kept him motivated to play and lead. "These were challenging tours and I knew that if I retired before them my critics would say I shied away from the tough battles and I also wanted to be with my team, a team that developed under my captaincy and achieve major success stories."I made my Test and ODI debuts in 2002 but after 2003 I had to wait for four years before breaking back into the national side. It was a long wait but after that whatever I achieved was enough rewards for me."

"I made my Test and ODI debuts in 2002 but after 2003 I had to wait for four years before breaking back into the national side. It was a long wait but after that whatever I achieved was enough rewards for me."

Misbah has played 72 Tests, 162 ODIs and 39 T20I. “But I will continue playing domestic cricket or T20 leagues," he said. Surprisingly, Misbah never scored an ODI hundred but on a more serious note he said he was shocked by the scandals that have broken out in Pakistan cricket in the recent past, most recently the spot-fixing scandal in the PSL, particularly given that Pakistan

Misbah said heavy punishment should be given to guilty players in the PSL scandal. "After the hard work we put into reviving our image after the 2010 scandal, this came as a shock. I just hope the players now learn their lesson. And I maintain we need to have exemplary punishment for players found guilty of corruption in cricket," he said.

PCB chairman Shaharyar Khan praised Misbah’s contribution to Pakistan cricket and also announced that a befitting farewell will be organized to honour the retiring skipper. "Misbah was a great ambassador for us wherever he went and led the side. Other cricket board have all sent us letters praising the team's behavior and his leadership," Shaharyar said.

Misbah-ul-Haq regrets not leading Pakistan against India in Test cricket

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