Misbah makes up mind to extend Test career

Skipper eyes challenging tour of NZ and Australia as career’s swansong

LONDON: There is this sinking feeling in the middle of all the excitement of Pakistan’s series-equalling victory here at The Oval on Independence Day.

The Test series is over but the tour continues as Pakistan face the daunting task of tackling a well-oiled, well-drilled England team in the limited-overs series that include five One-day Internationals and a tour-ending Twenty20 game at Old Trafford on September 7.

There is this sinking feeling because the tour will continue without the reassuring presence of Misbah-ul-Haq.

Pakistan’s Test captain will be heading home leaving the team’s command in the hands of Azhar Ali, who will lead Pakistan in two One-day Internationals in Ireland later this week before the tough five-match ODI series against England that begins in Southampton from August 24.

Misbah has expressed confidence that with Azhar at helm, Pakistan will exhibit the same self-belief as they did while playing under his own captaincy in the four-Test series.

But it won’t be easy for Azhar to lift a below-par ODI unit against a formidable team like England. After all, he is no Misbah, a man who has turned a group of journeymen into a top class Test side that is within striking distance of becoming the world’s top team in the five-day format.

That’s the reason why experts have been expressing fears about Pakistan’s future due to the looming threat of Misbah’s possible retirement from international cricket.

But the good news is that my sources tell me that Misbah is not going anywhere, at least not in the six months or so.

According to sources close to Misbah, the captain, buoyed up by his team’s impressive showing in the Test series against England, has more or less made up his mind to carry on for at least next three Test assignments against West Indies, New Zealand and Australia.

“He is not retiring any time soon, that’s for sure,” a source said on Monday.

And it makes sense.

Some of his critics might find him too old for international cricket but even at 42, Misbah is at the top of his game. He remains one of the fittest players in the Pakistan line-up and continues to win matches for his team. His excellent ton at Lord’s in what was his first Test on English soil was the reason why Pakistan went on to win the series-opening Test. In his eight last Test appearances, Misbah has compiled eight 50 plus scores including two centuries.

Together with Younis Khan, Misbah, who has scored 4634 runs from 65 Tests with ten centuries, serves as the backbone for Pakistan’s batting.­

He is well-placed to complete 5000 Test runs this year with the mouth-watering prospects of the home series against West Indies on batting feartherbeds in the UAE this fall. That series will be followed by tours of New Zealand and Australia starting in November.

Publicly, Misbah has made it clear that he is keeping his options open.

Just minutes after leading Pakistan to victory at the Oval on a glorious Sunday evening, Misbah made it clear that he will take his time to make what he termed as a difficult decision.

“It’s never easy to take a decision regarding the future,” said Misbah when asked about retirement plans, adding that whatever decision he takes would be in the best interests of the Pakistan cricket team.

On the eve of the final Test, Misbah spoke about how tough it would be for him to leave the team especially with the tough of New Zealand and Australia facing it at the end of the year.

“Obviously it is difficult to just leave the team before difficult tours. That’s why I’m here (in England).

“It will be a challenge for us in New Zealand and Australia. Any Pakistani team finds it tough to handle such are the conditions in Australia. It will be really hard for any youngster. It will also be a challenge for a young captain. I’m looking forward to it but let’s see as I will decide after this series.”