Misbah-ul Haq and Pakistan Cricket Board irked by leak of retirement news

Sport360 staff 19:34 12/01/2015
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  • Misbah-ul-Haq speaks with team manager Moin Khan at Sharjah cricket stadium last month.

    The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and Misbah-ul Haq are not pleased with the ill-timed leak of the skipper’s retirement from one-day cricket after the World Cup 2015 in Australia and New Zealand.

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    Misbah had urged the board to announce his retirement unlike teammate Shahid Afridi, who decided to go ahead with the decision on his own.

    Both PCB and Misbah had reached consensus that it will be gracefully and formally announced at the beginning of Pakistan training camp for World Cup which is starting on January 13 and will run for five days.

    However, before it could be announced by the board, the news came out and caused a stir despite it being known that this could be Misbah’s last outing in Green colours.

    “The whole plan and occasion has been disturbed by this ill-timed leak and it has neither pleased the PCB or Misbah,” a PCB official revealed.

    “We had a proper plan as to how it would be announced but that all has been hit. However, we’ll end up doing the announcement along with Misbah before the end of training camp.”

    It has been learnt that members of the PCB quizzed themselves as to who spilled the secret news. They are coming up with a version that it was none of the top-brass officials but someone from the selection committee who leaked it to the media.

    The board’s version is that Misbah had shared his retirement plans to selectors as well during a meeting in Karachi when World Cup squad was finalised in presence of head coach Waqar Younis.

    “Misbah was looking forward to reveal his retirement plans in a sober manner but once the news broke out, he had to come with his abrupt statement. He isn’t someone who will make an issue out of it but feels let down that he couldn’t reveal it officially through PCB or himself to his fans,” an aide of Misbah explained.

    One thing which is really surprising is the fact that PCB even bothered to send an email on Afridi’s retirement announcement but it was willing to give a proper platform to Misbah which suggest that the relations are not good between the star all-rounder and the PCB.

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