KARACHI: Just a month after being dumped from all three formats of the game, Misbah-ul-Haq will be catching a flight for Wellington on Saturday (tomorrow) to ‘bolster’ Pakistan’s fragile batting ahead of their second Test against New Zealand.
“On the demand of the team management, the national selection committee has decided to send Misbah-ul-Haq to New Zealand as a replacement of Younis Khan,” a Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) spokesman told ‘The News’ on Thursday. “He will be traveling on Saturday and should join the team well ahead of the second Test,” he added.
Younis, Pakistan’s regular captain, had withdrawn from the tour of New Zealand in a bid to take a break from international cricket. He was replaced by another senior batsman, Mohammad Yousuf as the new captain. Soon after his appointment, Yousuf asked for Misbah’s inclusion in the team to fill in for Younis. National selectors, at that time, had resisted the inclusion of Misbah in the squad but have now changed their mind after watching Pakistan’s top order succumbing tamely against the Kiwi attack on the third day of their first Test in Dunedin on Thursday.
Replying to the home team’s 429 in the first innings, Pakistan were at one stage struggling at 85-5. But debutant Umar Akmal (129) saved them from follow-on with a 176-run stand for the sixth wicket with elder brother Kamran Akmal.
Misbah, 35, was dropped from all three formats of the game last month after a series of poor outings in the World Twenty20 in England, the tour of Sri Lanka and the Champions Trophy in South Africa.
His inclusion will raise Pakistan’s strength to 18 men, which is very high for a touring party. But Pakistan are treating it as a ‘home’ series as New Zealand were supposed to tour Pakistan for the series but decided against it because of security fears.
Source
“On the demand of the team management, the national selection committee has decided to send Misbah-ul-Haq to New Zealand as a replacement of Younis Khan,” a Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) spokesman told ‘The News’ on Thursday. “He will be traveling on Saturday and should join the team well ahead of the second Test,” he added.
Younis, Pakistan’s regular captain, had withdrawn from the tour of New Zealand in a bid to take a break from international cricket. He was replaced by another senior batsman, Mohammad Yousuf as the new captain. Soon after his appointment, Yousuf asked for Misbah’s inclusion in the team to fill in for Younis. National selectors, at that time, had resisted the inclusion of Misbah in the squad but have now changed their mind after watching Pakistan’s top order succumbing tamely against the Kiwi attack on the third day of their first Test in Dunedin on Thursday.
Replying to the home team’s 429 in the first innings, Pakistan were at one stage struggling at 85-5. But debutant Umar Akmal (129) saved them from follow-on with a 176-run stand for the sixth wicket with elder brother Kamran Akmal.
Misbah, 35, was dropped from all three formats of the game last month after a series of poor outings in the World Twenty20 in England, the tour of Sri Lanka and the Champions Trophy in South Africa.
His inclusion will raise Pakistan’s strength to 18 men, which is very high for a touring party. But Pakistan are treating it as a ‘home’ series as New Zealand were supposed to tour Pakistan for the series but decided against it because of security fears.
Source
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