Ready to play till I’m 50: Misbah-ul-Haq

Pakistan’s evergreen skipper Misbah-ul-Haq has stated his intention of playing cricket until he is 50 years old. Having already become the oldest person to play for the Pakistan cricket team at 42, Misbah stands on the verge of joining the likes of WG Grace, Wilfred Rhodes, and others by playing well into their fifties.

Earlier, when quizzed about his retirement, Misbah stated that it probably was not the best time for him to call it quits as he would have to accompany the team on future tours of England as well as Australia. Inzamam-ul-Haq, the chief selector of the Pakistan side also quashed the retirement rumors linked at Misbah. Speaking about his playing career, the 42-year-old said, “Probably I am ready to (play longer) and we can have a world record when I play till 50.”

Over the past few years, Misbah seems to be perhaps the only player who has not been a part of any scandal as yet. Moreover, the fact that he was also considered as the fittest player in the boot camp conducted by incumbent Pakistan coach Mickey Arthur is also something that highlights the fact that Misbah’s career is certainly far from finished.

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“I kept telling the team that we have to follow the example of great teams who never look behind and keep working hard and that’s what we did,” he said. “When you play cricket, you have a lot of difficulties and face a lot of challenges, but through hard work you can achieve the toughest of things.”

At the moment, cricket is undergoing drastic changes in terms of players who are playing above the age of 35. Adam Voges (37), Rangana Herath (38), Imran Tahir (37), and Younis Khan (38) are a few of the top pros who are currently plying their trade in the top level of cricket at the moment.

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