Misbah-ul-Haq likely to go as limited-over captain: sources

According to the sources in the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Misbah-ul-Haq’s stint as Twenty20 and One Day International skipper is expected to come to an end after the ongoing Asia Cup.

Although nothing is confirmed yet, Shahid Afridi and Mohammad Hafeez’s names are being considered as possible replacements.

Following their wins over Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, the Men in Green qualified for the finale of Asia Cup. However, their performance against archrivals India was quite poor, as they lost the game badly despite posting 329 runs on the board.

The Green Shirts will meet Bengali Tigers in the ultimate battle at Dhaka on Thursday. The sources reveal that regardless of whether the side wins or loses in the finale, Misbah will not stay at helm anymore.

"Pakistan’s next assignment after the Asia Cup is the tour to Sri Lanka from late May in which they play three Tests, five ODIs and two T20 matches. And all indications are that the board and selectors feel that it is time for Misbah to be restricted to
leading the Test team while a new captain will be announced for the ODI and T20 teams," the source said.

The source added, "There is a feeling that Pakistan need to have ODI and T20 squads with more young players and fresh faces as there is little likelihood of some seniors continuing to play in prime form until the 2015 World Cup. There will be a lot more
input from Whatmore and other coaching staff when the squad for the Sri Lankan tour is announced."

Misbah took over as skipper for all forms of the game after Shahid Afridi’s retirement decision following West Indies tour last year. Since then, the side has been maintaining good performance under the 37-year-old’s command.

After beating Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, the Cornered Tigers went on to impose whitewash Test defeat on England. However, the guys lost their rhythm after that, losing one-day series at the hands of the poms.

Pakistan’s fresh defeat at the hands of India has put tremendous pressure on Misbah, who is likely to be replaced sooner or later. The side’s next possible assignment is tour to Sri Lanka, where they will Test and One Day series.

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Posted by Rana Nasir Ghafoor on Mar 21 2012. Filed under Pakistan, Sports. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry