Misbah Ul-Haq says mother’s advice kept him going

    By N.D. Prashant, Staff Reporter
    Published: by
    Gulf News.com
Abu Dhabi: Pakistan skipper Misbah Ul-Haq’s scintillating form with the bat has transformed the fortunes of his team and silenced his critics. Faced with a query about his retirement plans, he assured he would ‘time that to perfection’ while firmly asserting that he will only contemplate such a possibility after he has led a strong team to challenge for the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand early next year.

“Yes, definitely I have my plans on how to retire and how to time it. However, publicly I have never announced it before but obviously I have plans,” Misbah said in an interview with Gulf News.

“I will do it at the right time but at this moment I don’t want to switch my focus towards anything other than the build-up to the World Cup. It is all about bettering mine and the team’s performance.”

Will the announcement of retirement be from both formats of the game or One Day Internationals first and Tests later? “Well maybe,” laughs Misbah, whose side will be taking on New Zealand in the first Test after humbling the mighty Australians for a historic Test series defeat at the same venue a week earlier.

It took Pakistan 20 years to break the jinx against Australia and the skipper acknowledged that it took them a while to come to terms with what they have accomplished. “Yes, it took some time to sink in that we have registered such a historic win against Australia. The triumph has made an everlasting impact and will be with us forever,” said Misbah, who has led Pakistan in 31 Tests and needs just one more victory to surpass the team record of 14 Test victories shared by Imran Khan and Javed Miandad.

“Especially the situation we were in at that time after losing the ODI and one-off T20, I don’t think anyone would have given us a chance. It was a historic moment and we are still basking in that glory and happy about it.

“The dressing room atmosphere was simply amazing and we all first sat down and discussed about what we have achieved and the importance to keep moving forward.”

Misbah was also elated with the reaction he received from his people back home. “The response was tremendous from friends, family and all well-wishers. My mother was particularly thrilled as she has always kept faith in me and the team. She always told me: whenever you have good times or tough times, always stay united and be behind the team. That gave me strength and belief that my team can come back against all odds and win.”

Revealing the secret of the sudden turnaround, Misbah said: “See, there are a few individuals who are responsible for removing the negativity from the team. There were a few changes in the team after the ODIs and the players who came in like Azhar Ali and Younis Khan managed to lift the team spirit with their batting.

“They brought that positivity with that partnership when we lost two quick wickets in the first Test. Yasir Shah and Zulfiqar Babar too made a huge difference. Automatically, everyone suddenly wanted to be a part of those performances,” said Misbah, who also credited the Pakistan ‘A’ team’s performance against Australia in the four-day tour match to instilling a greater self-belief in the senior team.

The skipper was also ecstatic with the spirit shown by the players who came into the team straight from the domestic circuit. “The domestic talent has not been tapped enough. They don’t have the exposure. However, the good thing is, despite all odds, these bowlers are coming good because they have played long enough to understand on their own how to be effective at the top level.

“Those who are regular performers in domestic cricket have shown that they have the maturity to compete with the best. The temperament that Yasir and Imran showed was something that also surprised me to be frank; it was phenomenal,” said Misbah.

“After a long career in international cricket, you are bound to have regrets. However, they are petty things and I don’t feel it is even worth bringing out. Moving forward is the work ethic that I have kept and that has helped me to come out of all odds. My secret to success and my recent performances have been because of that. I shall continue to do that till I’m playing for Pakistan,” said Misbah, who rated the 2009 T20 World Cup win, the series win against England and now Australia as the highlights of his career.