Speaking to PakPassion.net, Misbah, who is currently leading the Faisalabad Wolves in the Faysal Bank Cup Twenty20 competition, spoke of his delight and pride at being appointed skipper for the forthcoming Test series versus South Africa in the UAE.

Saj Sadiq

11 October 2010

Appointing a 36 year old who didn't feature at all in the last series as captain would under normal circumstances be an unusual and surprising move. However, these are far from being "normal" times in Pakistan cricketing circles. Words such as continuity and stability seem to be a distant and hazy memory. Captains are coming, captains are going, the door continues to revolve and nobody seems to know what is coming next and when the revolving door will stop.

If one looks at the options available to the PCB ahead of a tough series against a powerful South African side, Misbah-ul-Haq is not an entirely surprising choice as the latest incumbent to take on the challenge of the poisoned chalice otherwise known as the Pakistan Test captaincy.

Kamran Akmal has fallen foul of the selectors and is nowhere to be seen in either of the squads against South Africa, Salman Butt is of course under investigation for alleged spot-fixing. Shahid Afridi has once again retired from Test cricket. Twenty20 World Cup winning skipper Younus Khan continues his "skirmish" with the PCB and Mohammad Yousuf's last venture as skipper turned into a disaster on many counts. An untried and inexperienced captain at this juncture would have been like a deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming vehicle.

To say that Misbah does not deserve the opportunity to lead his country would be harsh on a man who is widely respected by his peers. He has an exemplary disciplinary record, has been playing domestic cricket for 12 years, and whose first-class record stands up to be counted with the greatest names in Pakistan cricket. An average of just over fifty, thirty two centuries and fifty three half-centuries are statistics that not even Mohammad Yousuf can match. The only thing missing is an extended run in the Pakistan side.

Misbah is widely recognised in domestic cricket as a thoughtful and popular leader, and last season led Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited to great success in the RBS Pentangular Cup. Under his shrewd and assured leadership, SNGPL defeated a formidable Habib Bank side by seven wickets in the final. 

Speaking to PakPassion.net, Misbah, who is currently leading the Faisalabad Wolves in the Faysal Bank Cup Twenty20 competition, spoke of his delight and pride at being appointed skipper for the forthcoming Test series versus South Africa in the UAE.

"I'm absolutely delighted, it's a fantastic moment for me and I am extremely proud of the honour that has been bestowed upon me."

The challenge that has been presented to Misbah is an immense one, and many have succumbed to the pressure and demands of the job that is widely recognised as one of the hardest in the world of cricket. However, Misbah isn't putting himself under too much pressure and feels that his personal performance will help him deliver as captain.

"Personal performance is important. If I am playing well and scoring runs, then the captaincy should not present a problem to me. Captaincy is not easy in any format of the game, or at any level, but my most pressing concern is to perform well for the team."

Pakistan over the years have widely been recognised as a team that performs at its optimum when playing its unique brand of attacking cricket. Many fans and supporters of Pakistan cricket will hope that the attacking approach can once again be seen when Misbah takes over the reigns. However, the new captain feels that the tactics that he will adopt will be according to the match situation, rather than an all out attacking approach.

"My style of captaincy and approach will depend upon the match situation. South Africa are a very good side, and it will be a series where I will have to have my wits about me. A good captain knows when to attack and when to defend, it's almost like a sixth sense. He has to have that gut feeling on what he thinks may happen as a result of a bowling change, and have the knack of combining defence with attack, and to know when defence is the best form of attack."

Pakistan's batting woes during the series in England earlier this year were clearly evident. No batsman managed to score a century in the whole of the English summer, and the two players who recorded the highest batting average in the test series were rookie wicket-keeper Zulqarnain Haider - who only featured in one Test, at Edgbaston - and bowler Umar Gul, who averaged nearly 13 runs more than any of the frontline batsmen. However, Misbah is confident that on the batsman-friendly tracks of the UAE, the Pakistani batting lineup would not perform as miserably as they did in England.

"Conditions weren't easy in England. That was clear for everyone to see. I think it's a bit unfair to judge the batsmen solely on the tour of England, as batting appeared to be very difficult. The batsmen at my disposal are much better than their statistics in England suggest. The conditions in the UAE will be more akin to what the Pakistani batsmen are used to seeing, and I am confident that the batting lineup will deliver against South Africa."

England's Graeme Swann proved to be a thorn in the flesh of the Pakistan side, as the excellent off spinner bamboozled the Pakistani batsmen with his guile, flight and accuracy. Swann took wickets almost at will, and ended up with Test series figures of twenty two wickets at just over twelve runs apiece. However in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, Misbah feels that it could be Pakistan's spinners who could be the aces in the pack.

"Our strength in the spin bowling department could be the key in the UAE. We have three spinners in the squad and all are different styles of spinners, so the variety is there. I'm really pleased with the spin options I have been given by the selectors, and I'm confident that our spinners will do well given the conditions and they could be the key component during the Test series. There should be turn and bounce on offer, and it's up to them to make the most of those conditions."

Despite his age, Misbah is widely regarded as one of the fittest cricketers in Pakistan, and also one of the finest fielders in Pakistani cricket. He confirmed to PakPassion that he has not set himself a target as to how long he can continue at the top level.

"It's difficult to say how long I can keep playing cricket, retirement is something that I have not contemplated and as long as I am enjoying my cricket, feeling physically fit and up to the rigours of international cricket, then I will continue. I haven't given myself a target of when I will call an end to my cricketing days."

Pakistan Chief Selector Mohsin Khan recently stated that Younus Khan was the selectors' first choice as captain, and that Misbah was only given the role after Younus was not given the green light to recommence playing for Pakistan. However, Misbah feels that he has nothing to lose and everything to gain during the series against South Africa.

"I'm not thinking too far into the future, what is the point of doing that. I'm entirely focused on the upcoming series against South Africa, and not putting any thoughts in my mind beyond the matches against South Africa. As they say, what will happen - will happen, I don't want to put undue pressure on myself by thinking too far ahead. Let's do well as a team against South Africa, and then we can think about future assignments."

Whatever the reasons and machinations behind the appointment of Misbah-ul-Haq as Test Captain, one thing that is quite evident is that this is a fantastic opportunity for Misbah to establish himself as the man at the helm of the Test side. A good personal performance and a strong team effort against South Africa could mean that it's Misbah who gets the nod in future as captain, irrespective of the outcome of the crises surrounding Salman Butt and Younus Khan.