(Disclaimer: this is a work of fiction. Learn to take a joke; you’ll live longer.)
KARACHI – In his first exclusive interview since taking over the joint chief selector and head coach position of the Pakistan cricket team, Misbah-ul-Haq has revealed that it was the lack of criticism that he faced over the past couple of years that pushed him to return to the national cricket setup.
Talking to The Dependent, Misbah revealed that he was missing everything that was associated with his time as the captain of the Pakistan cricket team.
“What many people don’t understand that a 10/3 batting collapse needed me just as much as I needed a 10/3 batting collapse. That’s why I have continued to play cricket – PSL, first-class – and thankfully I continued to get those situations, without which I don’t know what I would do,” he said.
“Also, I really missed taking the blame for everything wrong in Pakistan. Of course, I was still getting the blame for a lot of things cricket related over two years after I retired from international cricket, thanks to Mohammad Yousaf bhai and others, but I wasn’t quite being blamed for everything. That’s what I really really missed,” Misbah added.
The most successful captain in the history of Pakistan cricket further said that this is what pushed him to return to the spotlight of the national cricket side so soon, even though he could just have taken the backseat and enjoyed the rest of his time basking in his successes.
“There is no other explanation for my return, really,” Misbah said.