Misbah-ul-Haq decides to play PSL as player, parts ways with Islamabad United

He had earlier decided to don the mantle of a mentor but former Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq has now backtracked on and wants to be a part of the 2019 season of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) as a player. Misbah’s team Islamabad United, who have won the tournament twice out of three times so far, announced the cricketer’s parting ways with them in a press release. Islamabad said that it was not possible for them to accommodate Misbah’s changed plans to remain as a player ahead of the players’ draft on November 20 but nonetheless thanked him for his contribution.

Misbah reportedly told Islamabad his new plans to play as a player but the franchise was not too keen citing its draft-specific strategies. Misbah, 44, is likely to be opted by Peshawar Zalmi, who won the title in 2017, in the Gold category, according to ESPNcricinfo. The former Pakistan batsman played eight games for defending champions in 2018 and batted only four times to score 57 runs at a strike rate of 75. Misbah has not played in a T20 game since March.

“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. This is in line with ISLU’s ethos of developing and nurturing not only emerging players but also senior players as they move to the next phase of their careers. ISLU was hence delighted to receive the written confirmation to this affect,” Islamabad said in its release.

Misbah’s sudden change of plan was difficult to be entertained

It said Misbah’s new plan was conveyed to the franchise only on Sunday and since it had already announced its retention plans, picking the cricketer was difficult for it.

Six PSL franchises will pick players for their respective squads ahead of the fourth edition of the tournament scheduled to begin on February 14. The teams finalised retention and release of players from their respective 2018 squads. The Pakistan Cricket Board has terminated the Multan Sultans team for the 2019 edition after it reportedly failed to submit bank guarantee worth $5.2 million for the fourth season.

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