KARACHI, Jan 25:
Pakistan discard Shoaib Malik says Misbah ul Haq was not an aggressive captain an he would need help from a few senior players if the national team was to do well in the upcoming World Cup.
The 32-year old who has not been selected to play an ODI since mid-2013 said Misbah also need to back his players more.
“I would say Misbah is 50-50 as captain. Fifty percent weak in taking aggressive decisions and fighting for his players. Senior players like Younis Khan, Shahid Afridi and Muhammad Hafeez will have to advise him on the field and help him take positive decisions if we are to do well in this World Cup,” Malik said.
“I have been told he is not able to fight for his players enough. As a captain you have to fight for the players you have faith in. They then repay you with their top performances and that is good for any team,” Malik told Geo Super channel.
“He has his strong points. He is calm and strong under pressure and that is a plus point in a mega event like the World Cup. But I would like to see other senior players advising him on the field.”
Malik, who has played 32 Tests, 216 ODIs and 59 T20 matches for his country, said that he would not rule out Pakistan doing well in the World Cup.
Malik also talked about communication problems within the team and the situation which led to his ouster as captain in 2009 after a two-year tenure.
“I want to make one thing clear that I myself asked the then PCB Chairman Ijaz Butt to find someone else to lead the team as I wanted to resign as captain during the home series against Sri Lanka after we lost the one-day series.
“Ijaz Butt accepted my resignation. I was not happy at that time leading the team because they were communication gaps in the side and it was clear to me some of the players were more interested in the captaincy themselves,” he said.
Malik was brought in as captain after Pakistan’s first round exit from the 2007 World Cup which led to the retirement of Inzamam-ul-Haq. (AGENCIES)
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