Pakistan’s former batting great Zaheer Abbas has again come out in support of Misbah-ul-Haq, after Pakistan’s second consecutive victory against New Zealand in the National Bank one-day international (ODI) series.
Ever since rumours of ditching Afridi as skipper of Pakistan spread, Zaheer has been the most vocal supporter of Misbah to replace Afridi.
Last month when the heat was on, Abbas suggested to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to immediately appoint the cool-headed Misbah as the new ODI skipper of Pakistan for this month’s World Cup, which is set to begin from the 19th in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.
After Pakistan’s win in the fourth ODI of a six-match series at McLean Park, Napier, Zaheer said, “Everyone can see his (Misbah’s) performance with the bat which is very remarkable and adds to the team's confidence. The PCB has yet to announce a captain for the World Cup and the way Misbah is performing I believe there are chances that PCB could choose him as ODI skipper.”
Misah played a match-winning innings in the fourth ODI with an unbeaten knock of 93 runs while chasing a formidable total of 262 runs posted by New Zealand. The win gave Pakistan a 2-1 lead in the series with two games to play.
Zaheer was particularly impressed by the way Misbah had led the Test side in the series against South Africa and New Zealand. The series against South Africa ended in a draw. However, Pakistan won the two-match Test series against New Zealand after winning the first Test by 10 wickets in Hamilton.
"Misbah has impressed everyone with his captaincy during the Test and ODI matches and has made important contributions with the bat." Abbas reiterated.
Last month the PCB announced the 15-member squad for the 2011 World Cup but did not name a captain for the mega event. This sparked another debate in Pakistan as to who would lead the team.
According to reports, PCB Chairman Ijaz Butt wants Afridi to be sacked because he is not happy with the hard-hitting batsman for giving interviews to the media, without taking the Board into confidence. Butt is also not happy with the way Afridi led the team in the UAE against South Africa.
The captaincy issue has virtually divided the country into two groups. One wants Afridi to retain his captaincy and the others are backing Misbah. Zaheer Abbas has been a staunch supporter of Misbah-ul-Haq from the start and he is still vocal in his support for Pakistan’s middle-order batsman.
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