PCB plans Misbah-ul-Haq’s retirement after West Indies Tour

Shahryar Khan, chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board(PCB) has conveyed to Test captain Misbah-ul-Haq that the board wants him to retire after Pakistan’s tour of West Indies in the month of April.

He further told that the board has retained Misbah as the captain for the three-Test series on the West Indies Tour after he had informed the board about his availability post Pakistan Super League(PSL).

“I have spoken to Misbah and discussed his future. I told him he needs to decide his future. He said he will come back to me after reviewing his form and performance in the PSL. He contacted me last week and told me he was available so I have retained him as captain,” Shahryar said as per the reports of PTI.

He further said “But at the same time it is a fact that during the tour, he will turn 43 and I don’t see him continuing to play after this tour”.

The 82-year-old chairman has reportedly asked the captain to consider his future with the national team after Pakistan’s straight test losses in New Zealand and Australia respectively this winter.

The Chief said that he had decided to retain Misbah as the captain of the national team for the West Indies tour keeping in his mind Misbah’s services to Pakistan cricket. Misbah has always wanted to end his career on a high note and Shahryar sees this as a perfect opportunity for him.

The decision to retain Misbah as a captain is a collective decision taken by Shahryar, a key official of the Pakistan cricket think-tank. The think-tank includes former Pakistan cricketer and current chief selector Inzamam-ul-Haq, head coach Mickey Arthur and other key senior officials in his hierarchy.

A source said that it was strange that the PCB chiefs had a commitment with Misbah-ul-Haq to continue as captain for the tour. Shahryar also claims that the PSL is a tiny progress towards Pakistan’s eventual return of International cricket to Pakistan. He further reinstated that the Pakistan Cricket board are constantly doing its work to allow teams to play in Pakistan.

“The PSL final went smoothly but it is just a small step towards the eventual return of international cricket to Pakistan. It will take time and we are now doing our best to get the Asian Test teams to come to Pakistan.

“The positive is that by holding the PSL final smoothly we showed everyone that we are capable of providing the best security for visiting teams. But I still think we can’t expect things to turn around after just one match and it will take time,” concluded Shahryar in his statement.