Misbah urges politics should not affect Pakistan-India cricketing ties

42-year-old says he would like to captain the national side against their arch-rivals


Sports Desk September 26, 2016
Misbahul Haq holds the ICC Test Championship mace in Lahore on September 21, 2016. PHOTO: AFP

Pakistan Test captain Misbahul Haq has said that in order to resume bilateral cricketing ties between Pakistan and India, both nations have to keep politics out of sports.

Talking to reporters, the 42-year-old said that he would like to captain the national side against their arch-rivals, but for that to materialise, politics has to be kept away.

“As a player I would like to play against India,” he said. “I would want to captain our side against them. But unless politics is kept away from cricket, there can’t be a resumption of bilateral ties.”

Dream of day when we can play at home: Misbah

Despite leading Pakistan in Tests since 2010, Misbah is yet to play in a Test against India as a skipper, although he has captained the national side against the arch-rivals in limited-over matches.

Since 2007-08, when India visited Pakistan, there hasn’t been a complete bilateral series comprising of Tests, ODIs and T20I matches between the two cricket giants. Pakistan, however, visited India for an ODI series in 2012-13.

Misbah becomes first Pakistani to receive Test mace from ICC

The Test captain also said that Pakistan had always pushed for resumption of bilateral ties, but unfortunately the response from India had not been the same.

Previously, Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) President Anurag Thakur said that there was no question of playing against Pakistan in the current political scenario.

Misbah was quoted by Press Trust of India

COMMENTS (1)

Ramesh | 7 years ago | Reply I would prefer a young and energetic Pakistani team visiting India if this even becomes a reality.
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