“About my future, there is a fair bit of time”

Image courtesy of: Zimbio

Pakistan Test captain Misbah-ul-Haq has insisted that he will not make a snap decision on his future in international cricket.

Misbah’s comments come after Pakistan were whitewashed 3-0 in their Test series against Australia.

Speculation about the 42-year-old’s future has been rife, especially after the second Test in Melbourne, where he said that he would consider retiring even before the start of the third Test.

While this did not come to fruition, many people have questioned whether Misbah has got enough in the tank to keep competing at the highest level.

“About my future, there is a fair bit of time,” he said. “We go back [to Pakistan], there is a bit of time off, there is a month in which this ODI series happens. Then there is the PSL [Pakistan Super League, where he is captaining the defending champions Islamabad United]. So I think there is time to sit down easily and think about whatever decision I am going to make.”

One of the main factors that will ultimately lead to Misbah retiring is whether he can continue making contributions with the bat. In the Test series against Australia, the Mianwali native was nowhere near his best as he only managed to score 76 runs at an average of 12.66.

“In cricket, confidence plays a huge role,” he said. “If you are scoring runs and get a good start, then it is easier for you. When you come to new conditions, the first few innings are very important. It didn’t happen here.

“In New Zealand also there weren’t runs. I think that shortage of confidence stayed through the series. When you get under pressure, you make these mistakes, you make these decisions to hit shots that you shouldn’t hit. That was there throughout.”