Misbah-ul-Haq announces retirement from international cricket

Karachi : Pakistan's illustrious Test captain Misbah-ul-Haq will retire after the upcoming Test series against the West Indies, he announced Thursday, after months of speculation over his future.

"The series against the West Indies is my last series," the 42-year-old told reporters at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, adding he was under no pressure to retire.

"I am satisfied," he said.

Misbah, 42, has been under pressure since Pakistan were whitewashed in the Test series in New Zealand and Australia late last year to step down after a long and successful Test career as captain since late 2010.

The PCB has already appointed wicketkeeper-batsman Sarfaraz Ahmad as the deputy to Misbah and he is expected to take over as Test captain after the series in West Indies.

Sarfaraz is already Pakistan captain in the limited-over formats of the game.

Since taking over the captaincy in the wake of an international spot-fixing scandal in 2010, Misbah has led Pakistan in 53 Tests, winning 24 losing 18 and drawing



11.

He also briefly led his team to world number one Test rankings last year, despite playing no matches at home due to the prevailing insecurity. The feat earned him widespread acclaim throughout the cricketing world.

But rumours have long swirled over when the veteran would call time on his long career, with former Pakistan cricket heavyweights demanding he step down in January, blaming his poor batting and uninspired captaincy for a 3-0 whitewash in Australia.

Misbah responded to the criticism by saying he would take his time to decide on his future, reversing an earlier announcement that he would quit.

"My cricket journey was very good... There were many hardships in my career but for now I am focusing on the present situation," he said Thursday.

"The series against West Indies is a good opportunity to bring the team back on the winning track."

Misbah will lead Pakistan in the Tests, the first of which starts in Jamaica on April 21, the second in Barbados on April 30 and the third in Dominica on May 10.