Misbahul Haq’s tongue-in-cheek reply to all his critics

Pakistan Test captain says fans will forget New Zealand, Australia tours once team starts winning again

Pakistan Test captain Misbahul Haq on Thursday said that the people who were against him had to wait for a long time to find something to criticise him.

Misbah was speaking to the media in Lahore when he was asked if some people were waiting for his performance to go down so that they could question his place in the team.

The 42-year-old replied: “It’s ok; they had to wait six years for that, so it’s fine.”

The right-hand batsman also told former cricketers to stay positive even when the teams face defeats.

“I don’t think this should be the practice [criticising the team when they lose],” said Misbah. “They should always be positive. They should identify problems but present solutions as well. I have always believed that by bringing in or sacking an individual you cannot bring a drastic change in Pakistan cricket.”

He continued: “To assume that we will become number one by changing a captain or by criticising the team is irrational. Everyone knows this is not how things happen. Until and unless you solve all the problems, you cannot expect to become the best team in the world.”

Misbah was praised by everyone when under his captaincy Pakistan Test team, for the first time in their history, topped the International Cricket Council’s Test team rankings. However, that changed soon, and now Pakistan are placed sixth courtesy two consecutive series whitewashes by New Zealand and Australia.

Nevertheless, Misbah says things will change once again when the team starts winning again. “Our performances have not been good in the last two series. I regret that as a captain. We failed on the Australia and New Zealand tour which were a challenge for us. All of this is happening because of that. However, the team including me will have to uplift our performances to get into the good books of our fans again.”

‘PCB round table conference a good move’

Misbah, the most successful Pakistan Test captain, praised the step taken by Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Shaharyar Khan to call in a round table meeting of former cricketers but identified the implementation of the proposed solutions as key.

“I think it’s a good move,” said Misbah. “Everyone will give their suggestions but what will be important is the implementation. Suggestions have always come in but what needs to be seen is how we will act upon them.

The seasoned skipper, when asked about naming a suitable replacement, reiterated his statement of not naming anyone. “PCB has the right to name a captain so I will not name anyone. They will do whatever they deem good for the team.”

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