Misbah to pack it in after Windies Tests

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For months we have all waited with baited breath for news on exactly when Pakistan Test skipper Misbah-ul-Haq would retire from international cricket and we finally have our answer.

Misbah will hang up his boots for good after the Test series in the West Indies which gets underway on April 21 and he is eager to go out on a high.

The 42-year-old told reporters at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore: “It will be my last series and I had conveyed this to the chairman (Pakistan Cricket Board) quite some time ago.

“I will try to finish it on a high note.”

“There was no pressure on me. I was planning to quit after the England series in the UAE [in October 2015] but there were some things and I had to carry on playing.

“But overall it’s fine and not like I am under any pressure or somebody has dictated this to me. I have myself understood that this is it and it’s purely my own decision.

“It’s a wrong impression that the board has enforced this as my last series or there’s a patch-up between me and the cricket board. I thought to play against West Indies because it was important for us as we haven’t won against them in their own backyard.”

Misbah has led Pakistan with a steely determination and unflappable temperament since 2010 when he was appointed in the wake of the 2010 spot-fixing scandal.

The shared Test series in England last year and the resulting number one Test ranking was the culmination of six years of rebuilding efforts and a proud moment for a loyal servant of the game.

Pakistan have struggled since their series triumph over the West Indies in the UAE last year slumping to six consecutive Test defeats with the skipper struggling for form as his side were whitewashed by New Zealand and Australia on the road.

With no disrespect intended towards the West Indies, the three match series in the Caribbean is one Pakistan should win with their bowling attack favoured to shred the hosts shaky batting lineup and allow the skipper to go out with a series win.

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