Test skipper Misbah ul Haq has decided to use Pakistan Super League as an opportunity to assess his own performance and decide when to retire from international cricket, ESPNCricinfo reported Tuesday.

"The idea is to assess myself how badly I want to play cricket," he said while talking to ESPNCricinfo. "I think in this one month I will make my decision to quit or at least give a certain date. I could easily have quit after England series in UAE [in November 2015] but that wasn't the right way."

Much has been said about Misbah's future in cricket and it was rumoured that he would announce his retirement after Pakistan's latest defeat against Australia in the recent Test series.

"You sometimes don't see your own achievements and personal gains," he said. "You also have to think about the team you have built, you have to see where it stands at a certain stage."

The skipper said it was easy for him to call it a day after he led Pakistan to number one position in ICC Test rankings, a position his side held for a little over a month last year, but he decided against it because "I don't really think about my personal gains".

The unassuming middle-order batsman will be remembered for his remarkable leadership of an embattled Pakistan side in the aftermath of the 2010 spot-fixing scandal, which resulted in five-year bans for Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir.

"I knew I had more to lose from Australia and New Zealand, but I think that wasn't a right way to think about. I had to stand there and give youngsters a message that you have to face the music in tough situations, face the challenge," he added.

Misbah said considering that he bats in the middle order, it was important for him to "bring stability whatever the situation".

"If we are four down then being an experienced batsman I should go and anchor partnerships and try to rebuild. The idea always is to take the team to a respectable total on which our bowlers can give a fight," Misbah added

He also hit back at his critics who censured him after his below-par performance in the Australian Test series.

"I feel angry when former players who have played the game at highest level, whose understanding about the game is even better than mine, still target my batting."