Pakistan Test captain, Misbah-ul-Haq, has announced that he would retire from international cricket after the forthcoming series against West Indies.
The 42-year-old batsman, who was named one of Wisden’s five Cricketers of the Year yesterday has led his side in 53 Tests since taking over in 2010.
Pakistan take on West Indies in a three-match series, with the first Test in Kingston starting on 21 April.
“My cricket journey was very good. There were many hardships in my career but for now I am focusing on the present.” Misbah said.
Misbah made his Test debut in 2001 but had only 19 caps when he was appointed captain, having returned to the squad in 2007 after a four-year absence.
He had been dropped earlier in 2010 but was named captain after predecessor Salman Butt was suspended and later jailed on spot-fixing charges, along with Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif.
Misbah is Pakistan’s most successful Test captain, with 24 wins from his 53 matches in charges, having also briefly led his side to the number one Test ranking last year.
He has scored 4,951 runs in 72 Tests at an average of 45.84, hitting the most recent of his 10 centuries in victory over England at Lord’s in July.
Since that drawn series with England, his side have beaten West Indies but lost a two-Test series in New Zealand and been whitewashed 3-0 by Australia.
“The series against West Indies is a good opportunity to get the team back on the winning track,” he added.
Misbah led Pakistan in one-day internationals from 2011 until his retirement from limited-overs cricket after the 2015 World Cup, having also been in charge for eight T20 internationals.
