INTERVIEW: Misbah-ul-Haq targets Test cricket in Pakistan

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  • Born leader: Misbah-ul-Haq is the most successful Test captain in Pakistan's history.

    The cricketer that seems to generate the largest spectrum of emotions from fans of their side is Misbah-ul-Haq. The 41-year-old Pakistani Test captain has been a lightning rod for so much criticism from so many quarters, the vast majority of it completely unjustified.

    Misbah is the most successful Test captain in his country’s history, having won 18 of the 39 Tests in which he has led his team. Pakistan are sat third in the ICC Test rankings and they have just completed a brilliant series win in Sri Lanka. The cries of derision that Misbah has faced have died down in recent months but there are still those that don’t give him the credit he deserves.

    Misbah is philosophical about the criticism he has faced, telling Sport360 that you just have to concentrate on your own actions.

    “It’s alright. You can’t just hold the tongue of people, everybody has their own views and everybody has their own opinions,” he said. “So you just stick to your work which you are doing and I think if I look back, I’m happy that I have given whatever I can give to my country, to my sport, and that’s what you are looking for. You have to look into yourself what you are doing, and if you are doing your best I think then you don’t worry what the people are saying.”

    He says he is very pleased with what his team have achieved in recent years, especially in Tests.

    “As a Test cricketer if I look back, especially last four-five years we just played some wonderful cricket and we’ve got some wonderful moments to cherish,” Misbah said. “Especially as a captain and as a player our whitewash against England and then beating Australia 2-0 whitewash and now we won against Sri Lanka. Both of the Test matches we won [in Sri Lanka] those were really special – the last one was 377 on a fourth-innings chase.

    “These are some of the series I will never forget throughout my life. I think really I really enjoyed playing especially Test cricket in the last five years. Thanks to the team and all the players, they really performed well and we got very good results.”

    One of the elements of Misbah’s game that has been so impressive over the years is his ability to keep his head when all those around him are frenetically losing theirs. How does he stay so calm?

    “I think it’s a combination of different things. You could say sometimes it’s part of your nature, and sometimes whatever you go through your life experiences teach you these things, how to just stay calm and how to handle things and how to handle pressure and that’s what I believe.

    “Just taking pressure or just being like that is not going to help you, if you stay calm you could just handle any situation and that’s the key. You can just make good decisions if you are calm, otherwise sometimes if you are really in aggression and a different kind of mood, or just enraged and sometimes you make wrong decisions. So that’s why I remain like that, just be calm most of the time.”

    This year has seen the return of international cricket to Pakistan after a six year hiatus following the terrorist attacks against the Sri Lankan team in 2009, and while Misbah didn’t get to play in those matches he is delighted to see the sport return to the country. What he would like to see most is a Test match at home before he retires. He has played for Pakistan 58 times and only five of those have been at home.

    “I am really anxiously waiting for [Test cricket in Pakistan]. Nothing better than that, if you play in front of your home crowd and at your home ground, so really hoping that before I’ve got to retire, really wish to play back in Pakistan Test cricket. It will be really a wish that that could come true before I retire.”

    The next Test assignments for Pakistan will be hosting England and then arch-rivals India. It has been the better part of a decade since India last played Pakistan in a Test, late 2007 being the last time the two sides met in the longest format. Misbah says he cannot wait.

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    “I am always exciting [about playing India]. I always say that India-Pakistan should play because it’s such a big series always, such a big deal, people really love playing, love to see India and Pakistan playing each other, so why to miss out that? Why to deprive all the Indians and all the fans from this, such big cricket? So it’s really lovely to be really happy to play against them and obviously it is good for the fans and obviously it is good for the cricketers of both countries.”

    It is clear that Misbah has no immediate plans to retire from Tests, but when he does call it a day he says he will play a Twenty20 for a while. At present he is representing the Barbados Tridents in the Caribbean Premier League and he would like to play more franchise cricket in coming years.

    “I still enjoy [T20] because if you look back at my career, I revived my career in 2007 T20 World Cup I think. Where in Pakistan I gained my T20 reputation, so I always enjoy that and I’m still playing T20 cricket back home. So it’s always good to be in shorter formats because you go there and play with a bit of independence. I’m enjoying my cricket and maybe I’m going to play for a year, a couple of years only T20 cricket after Test cricket. So let’s see how other things go, at the moment I am really enjoying that.”

    When asked who will lead the side when he does depart the scene for good he says he is hopeful that Azhar Ali will continue his progress as his anointed success.

    “Azhar Ali has been captaining the side in ODIs and he has been nominated as vice-captain also for the Test matches. So I think he is a good guy, he is a wonderful player, improving day by day, his performances are going up, he’s a calm guy and really cool head, so I think he can just take over, he can just handle the team very well, but it’s totally up to the cricket board again, what they are thinking.

    “But at the moment, I think he is captaining the ODI side and he is the vice-captain of the Test side, so I think the board is also looking forward to just captain him the Test side in future also.”

    With regard to his own post cricket plans he says he remains undecided. There are a number of options open to him which he is exploring.

    “Honestly speaking I’m just thinking about what to do next. Not easy when you left cricket what to do because I’ve got some different options. TV and coaching and I can play a little bit of cricket also, let’s see, I mean the only thing that matters is you just retire because you want to give more time to your family so I would love to do something which I can just stay more back with my family in one place in Lahore and spend more time with the children and my family. So let’s see, and let’s see what I can do after retirement.”

    Misbah-ul-Haq is playing for the Barbados Tridents in the Hero Caribbean Premier League. The Biggest Party in Sport runs from 20th June to 26th July.

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