“Next couple of days I will think about it and decide what to do”

Image courtesy of: Zimbio

Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq has admitted that he is contemplating announcing his retirement ahead of the third Test against Australia in Sydney.

Misbah made the revelation after his side crumbled on the final day of the second Test in Melbourne and gifted Australia an innings and 18-run win.

With Australia already having won the series coupled with the fact that he has only made 20 runs at a dreary average of five, the 42-year-old reiterated that he needs to take some time to think about things.

“I think I need to think about it,” he said. “I always believed that if I couldn’t contribute to the team then it’s no point staying there. This is a point where I need to think about that, even before the next game [in Sydney] and after the series. Next couple of days I will think about it and decide what to do. There is no point in hanging around and doing nothing. I haven’t decided [about Sydney] but let’s see.”

Speculation about Misbah’s retirement have been ongoing ever since he led Pakistan to a 2-0 win over England in the United Arab Emirates in November last year.

Since then, he has gone on to feature in Pakistan’s tour of England, which ended as a 2-2 draw, the 2-1 win over the West Indies in the United Arab Emirates, the Test tour of New Zealand, in which his side were whitewashed 2-0, and now the ongoing tour of Australia.

“I was thinking about my retirement long ago, even when I was playing against England in Dubai,” he said. “I was thinking then that we had possibly Tests against India, so I would play that and that’s it.

“But then we had difficult tours like England, New Zealand and Australia, I thought that is not right time. I’ve been there for last six-seven years, developing this team. I have to face these difficult series. That is why I hung around. Even at that stage my plan was not to play for another two-three years. I have to think about that, haven’t finalised it.”