LAHORE: Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Shahryar Khan said Thursday that a ceremony will be held to honour Misbah-ul-Haq upon his return from the West Indies.
Misbah in a press conference earlier in the day announced that he would be retiring from international cricket after the West Indies tour.
“There will be a ceremony, he [Misbah] will be honoured and given awards. We will do several other things as Misbah’s contributions for Pakistan cricket are tremendous,†Shahryar Khan told reporters.
The PCB chairman stressed that no amount of praise would be enough for Misbah. “His handling of players and umpires was important. He was praised everywhere. After the loss to Australia, their chairman called me and said the attitude of the team was exemplary. All this is to Misbah’s credit as he was an example for the team and an ambassador for Pakistan.â€
Shahryar Khan also praised Misbah for taking Pakistan to the number 1 Test ranking in the world which the team achieved in September 2016. “It was a big achievement to make Pakistan number 1. Misbah knew cricket well.â€
Misbah has the record of being Pakistan’s skipper in the most test matches. Since taking over the captaincy in the wake of an international spot-fixing scandal in 2010, Misbah has led Pakistan in 53 Tests, winning 24 losing 18 and drawing 11.
He also briefly led his team to world number one Test rankings last year, despite playing no matches at home due to the prevailing insecurity. The feat earned him widespread acclaim throughout the cricketing world.
Misbah will lead Pakistan in the Tests, the first of which starts in Jamaica on April 21, the second in Barbados on April 30 and the third in Dominica on May 10.