Next test captain should have PCB support, says Misbah

LAHORE: Pakistan Test captain Misbah-ul-Haq has said that his successor will need support of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).

In an interview to a foreign sports channel, Misbah said that Pakistan already has Azhar Ali — who is the vice-captain of the Test side — and Sarfraz Ahmed — who is the captain of the T20I side — but whoever is chosen as the next captain will need to have the full support of the Pakistan Cricket Board.

He added, “With time and the backing of the team management, any player can take on this role and learn the skills needed to be the leader. However, once again, let me stress that it is up to the board to take that decision.”

Misbah also said that he did not retire from international cricket before tours of New Zealand and Australia following his successful tour of England as it would have been a selfish act.

Misbah said that Pakistan’s only warm up game in the tour of New Zealand was abandoned due to rain and the side came under pressure as they had to face the hosts in the test series.

Misbah added, “The same scenario played out in Australia where we simply lacked the time to prepare for the test series”.

The test captain said that the situation was different in England as there were two warm up games and the team had plenty of time for preparation.

“Pakistan were visiting Australia for the first time in six years; it is not simply possible to perform at the highest level for most of the players without spending a longer length of time in those countries before the start of the series,” Haq said.

The test skipper said that Head Coach Mickey Arthur is trying to change the culture of team to a more disciplined version, in which fitness is considered important. He added, “Mickey wants to modernise the approach of the Pakistan teams”.

He said that the team and their behavior cannot set overnight and it needs time as it is not easy. He added that Pakistan has to take the new path if the team has to compete with other nations.

On his retirement, Misbah said that he hasn’t made his decision yet.

“I am still thinking about it as there is still some time to make that call. I will say this, that like always, I am receiving a lot of advice from others about what I should do,” he said.

“You need to ask yourself if you have the will to continue playing or whether it’s time to call it a day. This is a key factor for me to make the right decision and I will be giving it due consideration,” he added.

The cricketer said that he thinks it is important that first to be mentally prepared before making a commitment with your plans and then you can work on physical side of things.