“We have told him to delay his retirement for a year”

Image courtesy of: Zimbio

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has asked captain Misbah-ul-Haq to put his retirement plans on hold and play in the tours of England and Australia next year.

Should ul-Haq, who will be 42 next year, decide to prolong his international career, he will feature in a four-Test series against England and a three-Test series against Australia.

“We have told him to delay his retirement for a year if he is thinking on those lines,” PCB chairman Shaharyar Khan told reporters in Lahore. “We feel his presence as captain and senior player will be invaluable to the team for the Test tours to England and Australia next year.”

Ul-Haq hinted that the ongoing series against England, which Pakistan currently lead 1-0, is set to be his last, especially as the proposed series against India in December is unlikely to go ahead.

“I have been considering so many factors as it’s a very hard decision, in fact one of the toughest ones to take,” Misbah had said. “So in the next one-and-half months I will be analysing myself as to how far I can go. I will see how much I can contribute in for the team, I will see if my passion remains the same or I start losing interest in the game. Sometimes it’s not about fitness, it’s about how much interest you have in the game and I don’t want to be a liability. So whatever the decision you will know soon.”