Ahead of the national squad's departure to England for a four-Test series, Misbah said in a press conference on Saturday (June 18) that he did not have any immediate plans of retiring from the five-day format. "If I had to retire from cricket, I would have got retirement, but as I am fully fit and want to do more for my country, I will carry on serving the game and my country."
Regarding the England tour, the 42-year-old asked his players to face the challenges head on, mentioning that doing well against a tough opposition would give them a lot of recognition in the cricketing world.
"(The) England series is a big challenge but I also want to tell every player that the bigger the challenge, the bigger the opportunity will be. If the players perform well against the best in the business, the honour and the recognition they will get will really be a bigger one and remarkable, so every player must take this series as an opportunity if they want international recognition.
"History tells (us) Pakistan players always played well in England on English pitches. I hope this time too, the players will do their best to make this series a remarkable (one) through their outstanding performances and return home triumphant," he added.
The last time Pakistan toured England, the Test series was mired in the spot-fixing controversy which led to bans and jail sentences to Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Asif and Salman Butt. Amir is part of the squad for the Test series that starts on July 14 and the spotlight will certainly be on the 24-year-old.
Misbah said the team was eager to put behind what happened in 2010 and the Pakistan skipper was also hopeful of a controversy-free series. "We should forget about past and just focus on our game, practice and performance, as if we do so with full determination and devotion, we not only perform well during the series but also keep us safe from any controversy."
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