After a crushing Test defeat against Australia on Friday, Skipper Misbah-ul-Haq said he is contemplating his options on the back of a less-than-stellar performance by the Pakistani side in Melbourne.
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Speaking to the press after the match, Misbah said he would need to think about his future and make a decision "quickly".
The skipper was asked whether he thought the end is coming for him. He replied, "I always believe that if I can't contribute anything to the team then there's no point in staying there."
"This is the point where I just need to think about that, even before the next game and after the series. In the next couple of days, I will think about that and decide what to do because there is no point in just hanging around and doing nothing."
"For myself, I have to decide what the situation is. I've never thought I'd continue playing as a weakling on the team... If I can contribute something to the team, then it's fine. Otherwise, it's better to play someone else if I can't contribute as a batsman."
In November, Misbah made history by becoming the first Pakistani to play 50 matches as Test captain during a Test series against New Zealand.
The 42-year-old was named Test captain after the ICC banned then-captain Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif, Mohammad Amir following a spot-fixing scandal in England in 2010.
Misbah famously blogged about being offered captaincy during a secret meeting in a clerk's office at the Pakistan Cricket Board headquarters in Lahore in the aftermath of the scandal.
Subsequently he captained the team against South Africa in 2011 and has become one of Pakistan's most successful captains since, with 24 wins, 14 losses and 11 draws under his belt.
Under Misbah's captaincy, Pakistan achieved the number-one Test ranking for the first time since the current rankings system was introduced in 2003.
Earlier this year, Misbah became the oldest Test centurion in 82 years at the 'home of cricket' Lords when he reached three figures during a four-Test series against England.
Misbah also erased a 49-year-old Pakistan record at Lord’s by improving upon 76 made by Asif Iqbal in his maiden Test knock, while batting at No 9 in 1967.
He has hit more centuries as captain for Pakistan, with 10 centuries, and 36 half centuries in the bag, overtaking current chairman of selectors Inzamam-ul-Haq’s seven centuries, and Imran Khan and Javed Miandad's records, each of whom have five centuries apiece.
Remarkably, no one in the long history of Test match cricket has managed more centuries than Misbah beyond the age of 40.
