Under-pressure captain Misbahul Haq said he will continue to play for Pakistan till he maintains his form and fitness. PHOTO: REUTERS
Under fire Pakistan captain Misbahul Haq lashed out at his critics, claiming that he had done everything possible in the Test and One-Day International (ODI) series against South Africa, but nothing worked out.
Speaking to the media at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, Misbah stated that he was a fighter, who would not go down easily.
“I have always maintained that I would continue playing for Pakistan as long as I am fit and performing,” said Misbah. “At an individual level, my record this year speaks for itself.”
Misbah was irked by some harsh questions by reporters in Lahore. One of them reminded him that he was labeled a ‘jackal’ on the field, to which he responded by saying: “I don’t mind the tag. If a fighter who is fighting on the field is labeled a jackal, than I am happy being called one.”
On his return from the UAE on Tuesday night, the right-handed batsman had stated that the critics who were blaming him needed to assess his performance with the bat.
“I think all those who blame me, saying that I don’t play for the team should open their eyes and take notice of the stats, they should realise the truth,” he told reporters at Lahore airport.
He also blamed the lower-order batsmen for squandering the advantage in the ODI series opener in Sharjah, where Pakistan succumbed to a sensational loss after controlling almost the entire match.
“One day we fail to score 10 off the last 50 balls and then the other day we fail to score 42 off 36 balls and these are serious failures,” said a disappointed Misbah as Pakistan failed to bat out their 50 overs in all five matches against South Africa. “If you perform like this, then it’s difficult to win matches at the international level.”
Talking about the youngsters in the team, Misbah said that despite being given an extended run in the side, they had failed to deliver.
Basit Ali bats for Misbah
Meanwhile, former Test cricketer Basit Ali jumped to Misbah’s defence, saying that the ones calling him timid did not understand the game of cricket.
“The so-called cricket experts who are appearing on various TV shows don’t know much about the game,” Ali, who is the coach of Misbah’s departmental side SNPGL, told The Express Tribune. “Misbah has been in tremendous form throughout this year and is easily Pakistan’s best batsmen across all formats presently.”
Ali added that the ‘experts’ have their own vested interests that have harmed cricket in the country for a long time.
“Some of the comments against Misbah are from a lobby that has its own agenda and wants to dictate terms with the Pakistan Cricket Board.”
Ali, who represented Pakistan in 19 Tests, feels that at present there is no replacement for Misbah and he needs to be banked upon.
He also revealed that seasoned batsman Younus Khan has vowed that he will not take captaincy as long as Misbah is leading the team.
“Younus promised that he would not captain the team in Misbah’s presence. He also feels that Misbah deserves to lead the team, so if Younus isn’t willing to lead, what options are we left with?” questioned Basit.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 14th, 2013.
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it is compeletly wrong to blame misbah. he is outstanding player. the problem is, we do not have finisher, we always plays one short batsman & an extra bowler. we need a good batsman at no 8, who can finish the game. also, our last 5 batters can not bat, included afridi. Hafeez & Razaq must play at no 7 & 8 respectively and than pak team can come on winninh track.
But there is something that I have noticed in the team that even aggressive batsmen like Nasir Jamshed and Ahmed Shahzad have started to play like Misbah. Not in the terms of the number of runs they score but the rate at which they start there innings.
He is a consistent performer. But he alone cannot win the match. He isnt the type of player who can win it single handedly. Other batsmen should come up to the task.
You must appreciate the cool response from Misbah after being tagged as jackal The leading runs scorer of 2013 and we want him out of the team Does it make sense ? World is gonna laugh at us once again ...