Former Pakistani cricketers insist Misbah-ul-Haq's time is up

What’s the story

The current oldest international cricketer, Misbah-Ul-Haq, who captained the Pakistan Test team that was at the receiving end of a 3-0 whitewash at the hands of the Australian team, has been blamed for the poor show by his side, with several former cricketers asking the 42-year old to finally step aside.

Misbah, who has been the captain of the Test side since 2010, scored just 76 runs, giving all the more reason for his detractors to bay for his blood.

In case you didn’t know

The Pakistan team suffered a terrible clean sweep at the hands of the Australian side, their fourth consecutive whitewash Down Under since 1999/00. This was Pakistan’s sixth consecutive loss in Tests, equalling their worst streak in history.

The humiliation ended with a 220-run pounding at Sydney, despite fighting efforts from Younis Khan and Sarfaraz Khan. Josh Hazlewood was the star with the ball for the hosts, picking up a total of seven wickets in the match.

The heart of the matter

Former Pakistan captain, Rameez Raja, was clear in stating that time had finally run out for the veteran batsman,

“Every sportsman goes through this phase and captain Misbah has offered enough so it's time to move on. After that opponents know about his strategies and Misbah has spent that in a glorious way. He has played his innings well to become Pakistan's most successful skipper. I think Misbah's time is up.”

He was joined by Pakistani great Wasim Akram in stating the same opinion, with the left-arm pacer taking an example of his own career, where he had to experience a similar fate.

"When I lost 3-0 in Australia in 1999 I was replaced as captain despite the fact we fought hard in the first two Tests: but a defeat has such consequences”.

What’s next

The Bangladesh team is scheduled to visit Pakistan and UAE for a two-Test series, after which Misbah’s men will travel to West Indies for another couple of Tests as part of their tour. Post that, since Misbah has given up on the limited overs format, he won’t be part of the team till October, when Sri Lanka are slated for a three-Test series

Sportskeeda’s takeAt 42, Misbah will have to look at the long-term prospects of his role in the Pakistan side, especially in the role of the captain. Having given up on the shorter formats, he won’t be regularly featuring in the squads, and must have some targets in mind if he plans to carry on.

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Edited by Staff Editor