Misbah expresses desire to engage in social work post-retirement
The most memorable moment for Misbah was the ICC Test Championship Mace coming home.
(Web Desk) - With the end of the Pakistan-West Indies Test series, Pakistani captain Misbah-ul-Haq will say farewell to international cricket for good. With his retirement, Misbah bids farewell to a career that has brought him both praise and criticism. From his sluggish shot that was caught by Sreesanth in the 2007 T20 World Cup Final, to bringing home the ICC Test Championship Mace against insurmountable odds, Misbah’s career has had its fair share of ups and downs. But as he leaves; he is widely loved and respected by cricket fans, for he achieved much for Pakistani cricket when the odds were against him. His calm approach and consistency was what helped Pakistan pass through a period marred by problems like spot-fixing and a lack of will on the part of foreign teams to play in the country.
Here, we look at the post-retirement plans of Misbah-ul-Haq. In an interview with BBC Urdu, Misbah outlined his future plans and gave his take on past happenings.
On criticism about him:
Misbah said that everyone has emotions and when criticism crosses the boundaries of social etiquette and gets personal, one feels anger. He added, “Nobody gives a thought to what they are saying about you. “We say we are Muslims and we should not hurt anyone. But no one actually follows this,” he added.
The captain also said that critics on TV channels do not realize how painful their criticism can be for people. Adding to this point, he said that he faced this situation during his career but what pained him greatly was his family suffering due to this criticism.
He opined that TV channels should review their policies because the way cricketers face character assassination could probably lead to parents not allowing their children to venture into sports.
On his calm demeanour:
Misbah said that he had the same calm attitude in everyday life that one saw in cricket. He added, “I do not show a reaction quickly. I remain normal and deal with issues in a calm manner.”
On his wish for social work:
Misbah also shared his aspirations for engaging in social work. The accomplished batsman praised the mental and physical strength of the people of his hometown, Mianwali. However, he lamented the fact that basic amenities and infrastructure facilities like health, education and sports were not available to the people of the district. He said that there were a lot of cricket fans but sadly a cricket ground was not present. He hoped that he could play a role in improving health, education and sports in Mianwali.
On meeting his old friends:
The ex-captain expressed regret over the fact that he had been unable to visit his hometown or meet with old friends because of him being busy in international cricket.
“I had already apologized to my friends that I have to focus on international cricket,” he said. “But honestly I miss my old friends and after retirement would definitely get in touch with friends who I was not in contact with,” he said.
Misbah also expressed his desire to engage in social work with his friends.
On his inspirations and influences:
For Misbah, his mother played an important role in his education and character building as his father passed away when he was in ninth grade. Along with his mother, his paternal and maternal uncles also played a role in this regard.
On his decision to pursue an MBA he said, “When you arrive at a point when you are intuitive and understanding of what’s happening around you, you realize your responsibilities and becoming aware of my responsibilities was the reason why I did my MBA.”
He added that he was later taken over by his liking for cricket and thus had to change his profession.
On the memorable moments of his career:
The most memorable moments for Misbah were the Pakistani Test team achieving the number one ranking in Test cricket and the ICC Test Championship Mace coming to Pakistan.
According to him, the other highlights of his career were white washing England and Australia in UAE, defeating England in Lords and Oval, and defeating South Africa and India in ODI series at their home grounds.
