England series could be my last says Misbah ul Haq

Aging Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq is thinking about quitting test cricket and this month’s three-match series against England could be his last in the United Arab Emirates.

The middle-order batsman has already retired from Twenty20 and stepped down from ODIs after a six-wicket defeat to Australia in the quarter-finals of this year’s World Cup.

The delay in India’s confirmation for its scheduled series against Pakistan in December is one of the reasons Misbah is contemplating calling time on his Test career as, if the series did not go ahead, his next first-class assignment would not be until July of next year.

Pakistan will aim to maintain their winning streak this month in the UAE, where they had beaten England 3-0 in 2012.

Admitting that England have improved since 2012, Misbah is counting on their lack of experience in the UAE conditions to work in Pakistan’s favour.

“Yasir and Zulfiqar have given good performances and they did well against Sri Lanka”, he said.

“We all know after the England series the next Test series we play will be after a long time”. “This English team has done well in the Ashes”. Misbah warned the conditions in the UAE would be challenging for England. “I will review it all after the series against England”, the 41-year-old, who has led Pakistan since late 2010 after the spot fixing scandal in England, told the media on Friday (October 2). He refused to be drawn on the prospect of another 3-0 rout of the Lions, such as the one in the UAE under his captaincy three years ago. “They bowled brilliantly against Australia and New Zealand and we hoping for a similar performance from them against England”.

However Pakistan now lack both Ajmal and Rehman in their squad, but they have the duo of Yasir Shah and Zulfiqar Babar. Ajmal was not selected for the series after he struggled with a remodelled bowling action required to overcome suspension.