The Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Zaka Ashraf has thrown his weight behind the captain of the national team, Misbah—ul—Haq, saying that he has proved his worth by successfully guiding the team to victory in the recently—concluded Asia Cup.
Ashraf told reporters in Islamabad that Misbah had been captaining the side really well, and he deserved the honour of leading the national team.
“Everyone talks against Misbah, but he has captained the side really well. There was a lot of pressure on Pakistan in the Asia Cup, but Misbah didn’t let the team down,” said Ashraf.
“The biggest plus point of Misbah as captain is that he does not wilt under pressure. He can face any situation and at the same time keep the team’s confidence high,” he added.
Ashraf pointed out that after Misbah had brought the Asia Cup home after 12 years following a hard fought victory in the final against Bangladesh, it was unfair for anyone to criticise him.
“What more can one expect from him?”, asked Ashraf. “He is also trying hard to perform as a senior player.”
Ashraf also added that the Pakistan team needed a cool and calm captain to handle the pressures at the top level.
There has been talk about the board pondering on restricting Misbah to captain the Test side while appointing another skipper for the ODI and T20 formats as was the case until last year when Shahid Afridi was sacked as captain by the PCB over disciplinary issues.
But Ashraf said any such plans for the different formats of the game would only be taken after consulting experts and technocrats of the game.
“It is a decision that has to be taken by the experts and technocrats. If it is necessary then we will look into it,” he said.
Another senior board official claimed that Misbah presently has the full support and confidence of the PCB Chairman because of his many other attributes besides his cricketing skills.
“Everyone is impressed by the fact that he speaks well and sensibly before the media and secondly he is not fond of giving unnecessary or controversial statements in the media on any issue. He is seen as not only a good captain but an excellent ambassador for Pakistan cricket,” the official told PTI.
Misbah is generally been criticised for his slow batting but the Pakistan captain made it clear that he played according to his role in the team line up.
“Everyone should understand that every player has a role assigned to him in the national team and I play according to the role assigned to me,” Misbah insisted.
He also said that one should not become a liability to the team by abandoning his role in the team.
