‘Leading Pakistan is a tough job’

Misbah says he is not a long-term leader, will call it quits when the time is right.

LAHORE:

Misbahul Haq, who replaced Shahid Afridi as Pakistan’s One-Day International (ODI) captain last month, has termed leading the side a tough job.

Misbah, who took over the Test leadership after Salman Butt was suspended by the International Cricket Council, was also entrusted with the captain’s armband for ODIs after Afridi was removed from the post by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).

The middle-order batsman has gotten into the habit of leading the team in crisis and echoed the view, insisting that the job of leading Pakistan is not ‘a bed of roses’. And while critics say that the 37-year-old is not a long-term leader, Misbah said that his focus was only on doing well for the team.

“I never focused on long-term captaincy,” said Misbah. “Leading Pakistan is not like a bed of roses and as a Test captain, I’ve been trying my level best. Leading the side in ODIs is an added responsibility but it’s still an honour. My only focus is to do well as a batsman and captain.”

At the back of his mind, Misbah knows he has just a few years left in him but the right-hander said that he will call it quits if he fails to maintain the required fitness standards.

“I’m scoring runs and maintaining my fitness levels. That’s the most important thing. When I see a dip in my performance, I will quit myself.”

Yousuf terms T20 as cricket-killer

Meanwhile, Pakistan’s discarded middle-order batsman and former captain Mohammad Yousuf termed Twenty20 cricket as the most damaging thing to have happened to the sport.

Speaking to media at a local fitness club, Yousuf said that cricket’s shortest format was a tool for youngsters to achieve quick and short-term success.

He said that although Twenty20 was a commercial add-on to the game, youngsters needed to focus on Tests and ODIs to improve their cricket.

“Twenty20 has damaged cricket,” said Yousuf. “The sport requires patience and Twenty20 is damaging youngsters’ temperament. The only way to improve their performance is to keep Twenty20 cricket at the lower levels.”

Yousuf, who was dropped from the Pakistan team due to fitness issues last year, said that only experienced players should play the shortest version.

“Players these days are using the version to impress the selectors. It’s a quicker way to earn fame and stardom.  It provides thrill to the fans and is good business but the quality of cricket has gone down. If this continues, the real charm of cricket will soon fade away.”

Misbah

“Leading Pakistan is not like a bed of roses and as a Test captain, I have been trying my level best to do the job right. Leading in ODIs is an added responsibility but it’s still an honour. My only focus is to do well as a batsman and captain.”



Yousuf

“Players these days are using the Twenty20 version of the game to impress the selectors. It’s a quicker way to earn fame and stardom. It provides thrill to the fans and is good business but the quality of cricket has gone down.”

Published in The Express Tribune, June 14^th, 2011.

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