LAHORE: Former captain Pakistan cricket team Misbah ul Haq has denied reports of joining his erstwhile Pakistan Super League (PSL) franchise Islamabad United as its mentor and said that he will take part in the fourth edition of the league as an active player.
Earlier, reports emerged that Misbah ‘might’ be seen playing mentor to his former team and defending champs Islamabad United in PSL 4 which is scheduled between February 14 and March 17.
According to a press release issued by United on its official Twitter handle, Misbah will not be a part of the team for the fourth edition ‘due to the late change of decision.’
— Islamabad United (@IsbUnited) November 18, 2018
Misbah, who lead the two-time-champions Islamabad United to triumph in the inaugural session of the league, was reportedly offered mentorship role by the team management. However, the 44-years-old veteran cricketer decided against it as he opted to take part in PSL 4 as an active player.
“In the weeks leading up to the draft, Islamabad United had reached an agreement with Misbah-ul-Haq regarding his appointment as the mentor of the franchise for PSL 4 and the editions going forward,” the press release read. “Despite having reached that agreement, the franchise was informed yesterday that Misbah wishes to stay in players’ draft for PSL4 for consideration as an active player.”
“As Islamabad United has already announced its retentions and has specific strategy for the Draft, picking Misbah as a player may not be possible for the franchise,” it added.
Furthermore, the team went on to express gratitude to their former skipper for his previous contributions and ‘wished him the best in his future endeavours.’