Misbah focussed on the present

Misbah-ul-Haq, the Pakistan captain, has said he's focussed firmly on the present and not looking too far ahead in terms of his place in the side or his captaincy. "Frankly speaking, I have never thought whether my career will continue till the next World Cup [2015] as it's too far to dwell," he told the Dawn. "No one can predict even about tomorrow, while the next World Cup is four years away.

"Therefore it is better for me to concentrate on fitness and form in order to deliver my best performance for the team."

Misbah, 37, added that if asked by the PCB to step down, he would be willing to do so. "It is the prerogative of the board to appoint any suitable captain for the team and I am ready to quit [captaincy] whenever the PCB deems it appropriate."

Misbah was appointed Pakistan's Test captain in October last year and led them to their first series win outside the subcontinent in seven years when they beat New Zealand 1-0 in January, earlier this year. Following Shahid Afridi's public comments hinting at his disagreement with coach Waqar Younis upon his arrival from the Caribbean, the board replaced Afridi with Misbah as ODI captain in May.

Misbah, who has played 25 Tests, has captained Pakistan in six Tests so far, with two wins, one loss and three draws. While his career batting average is 44.32, as captain he averages 90.28. In his first assignment as ODI captain, he led Pakistan to a 2-0 win over Ireland in May. Misbah said he was keen on improving his own batting rather than dwelling too much over his captaincy. "It is the [individual] performance that can help you keep your place in the team or can enable you to retain captaincy. Therefore, everyone should concentrate on producing a prolific [individual] show," he said.

Misbah, who has played 32 Twenty20 games so far, said he would take part in the domestic Super Eight Twenty20 tournament beginning on June 24. "The T20 tournament will provide the best opportunity to all the players to get some on-field action as the national team has a long period off from international cricket."