Pakistan skipper Misbah-ul-Haq deeply hurt as Sharjeel Khan withdrawn from PSL

Pakistan’s Test team captain Misbah-ul-Haq stated that he was ‘deeply hurt’ as two of his teammates from Islamabad United were withdrawn from the PSL. A corruption scandal rocked the Pakistan Super League, which saw Sharjeel Khan withdrawn from the tournament.

Misbah looked back at the unfortunate incident as ‘a massive shock’. The skipper was gravely disappointed upon learning about the events which shook Pakistan’s annual T20 tournament played in the UAE.

“It was a massive shock when I learnt of this. The first thought that came to my mind was about Pakistan. As I said, it has taken us a long time to regain the lost pride. The second thought was about the PSL, a tournament which is getting a global audience and has become Pakistan cricket’s brand,” he said.

The captain also added that losing Sharjeel was a major blow, not only to Islamabad United but to Pakistan’s national side as well. The left-hander who has been a consistent batsman for Pakistan was one of the accused in the PSL spot-fixing case.

“It has taken us a long time and so many victories to regain the lost pride and improve the image of the team. That’s why I was very hurt when two Islamabad United’s important players, including Sharjeel Khan, were withdrawn from the Pakistan Super League due to allegations related to corruption,” Misbah added.

Sharjeel has represented Pakistan mostly in the limited-overs formats, having played 25 ODIs and 15 T20Is. In the one-dayers, Sharjeel averaged a decent 32.48, with the highest score of 152. The left-handed batsman played just 1 Test for Pakistan. Misbah-ul-Haq would have surely needed Sharjeel’s services in the ongoing Test series against West Indies.

42-year-old Misbah-ul-Haq went on to add that the players ‘should be banned for life if found guilty.’ He also said that to ensure players are penalized judiciously, the investigation should be ‘fair and there shouldn’t be any element of doubt in it.’