Misbah to quit international cricket next year
Out of favour Pakistan batsman Misbahul Haq has planned to quit international cricket by the end of next year.
LAHORE:
Out of favour Pakistan batsman Misbahul Haq has planned to quit international cricket by the end of next year.
“I know luck is not favouring me these days and with the youngsters making their way into the squad, I was forced to think again. As a player, I feel sad to make such a decision but one day I had to decide when to call it a day,” Misbah told The Express Tribune.
“I am 36 and feel fit enough for the international arena. I’m seeking an opportunity to play the 2011 World Cup in a bid to end my international cricket on a high note. But if I’m unable to find a place in the national squad, I always have an opportunity in the domestic circuit to do so,” added Misbah, whose central contract with the Pakistan Cricket Board expires in December this year.
Misbah, who holds a category B contract, however remained optimistic about his return to the Pakistan side and has targeted the 2011 World Cup. “My performance in the last 12 months hasn’t been up to the mark but my passion for the game remains. Therefore, I have planned a time frame to my cricketing career and decided to quit cricket at the end of 2011,” said the batsman, who was omitted from the squad following a disappointing performance in Australia and the West Indies.
Having made his debut in 2001 against New Zealand, Misbah impressed the selectors with his technique and temperament and followed it up by a successful tri-nation one-day tournament in Nairobi in 2002 where he scored two fifties in three innings . But before he could be hailed as a mainstay in the middle-order, Misbah’s form slumped and he was dropped from the side after which he did not represent Pakistan for almost three years.
However, Misbah earned a recall in the inaugural World Twenty20. His performance in that tournament, where Pakistan lost to India in the final, led to him becoming a permanent middle-order batsman. But a poor run on the Australian tour and the World Twenty20 this year led to his exclusion from the England-bound squad.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 27th, 2010.
Out of favour Pakistan batsman Misbahul Haq has planned to quit international cricket by the end of next year.
“I know luck is not favouring me these days and with the youngsters making their way into the squad, I was forced to think again. As a player, I feel sad to make such a decision but one day I had to decide when to call it a day,” Misbah told The Express Tribune.
“I am 36 and feel fit enough for the international arena. I’m seeking an opportunity to play the 2011 World Cup in a bid to end my international cricket on a high note. But if I’m unable to find a place in the national squad, I always have an opportunity in the domestic circuit to do so,” added Misbah, whose central contract with the Pakistan Cricket Board expires in December this year.
Misbah, who holds a category B contract, however remained optimistic about his return to the Pakistan side and has targeted the 2011 World Cup. “My performance in the last 12 months hasn’t been up to the mark but my passion for the game remains. Therefore, I have planned a time frame to my cricketing career and decided to quit cricket at the end of 2011,” said the batsman, who was omitted from the squad following a disappointing performance in Australia and the West Indies.
Having made his debut in 2001 against New Zealand, Misbah impressed the selectors with his technique and temperament and followed it up by a successful tri-nation one-day tournament in Nairobi in 2002 where he scored two fifties in three innings . But before he could be hailed as a mainstay in the middle-order, Misbah’s form slumped and he was dropped from the side after which he did not represent Pakistan for almost three years.
However, Misbah earned a recall in the inaugural World Twenty20. His performance in that tournament, where Pakistan lost to India in the final, led to him becoming a permanent middle-order batsman. But a poor run on the Australian tour and the World Twenty20 this year led to his exclusion from the England-bound squad.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 27th, 2010.