LAHORE: Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Shaharyar Khan has categorically denied any reports of Misbah-ul-Haq being unfit and backed the Pakistan captain to lead the team in the upcoming One-day Intern­ationals (ODIs) against New Zealand in the lead-up to the World Cup.

“I spoke to the PCB doctor in the morning and the only thing we discussed was the fitness of [paceman] Junaid Khan,” Shaharyar told Dawn on Wednesday. “There was nothing about Misbah.”

Misbah pulled his hamstring in the second ODI against New Zealand in the UAE last month and sat out the remaining three games of the series.

PCB asks ICC for Hafeez test

Misbah had been called up for a fitness test at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) on Jan 13, a day after the training camp for the World Cup began, along with other players but Dawn has learnt that head-coach Waqar Younis didn’t call for a proper fitness test as the players were already undergoing training.

The PCB hasn’t issued any health bulletin on Misbah’s hamstring and the country’s cricketing governing body needs to clear the situation as quickly as possible with a complete fitness report to avoid confusion over captaincy for the World Cup.

Although both Shaharyar and his predecessor Najam Sethi have reiterated over the last year that Misbah would lead Pakistan at the Feb-March World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, a lobby is working to have Shahid Afridi reinstated as Pakistan’s ODI captain despite the team having left for New Zealand to play in the two-game series from Jan 31.

It was also reported that during the series in the UAE last year, Waqar and chief selector Moin Khan had met with Shaharyar, suggesting the PCB chief to sideline Misbah for the World Cup. Shaharyar, though, dismissed the suggestion and backed Misbah again on Wednesday.

“Misbah is fit and he will lead the team at the World Cup,” Shaharyar said. “Misbah practised at the training camp after being allowed by the doctor.”

Pakistan, though, will have to do at the World Cup without pace spearhead Junaid who aggravated his hamstring injury after travelling to his hometown of Swabi by car, it was reliably learnt on Wednesday.

At the end of the training camp at the Gaddafi Stadium last Saturday, the players left for their cities before converging in Lahore ahead of their departure to New Zealand on Tuesday.

Junaid, though, returned with the condition of his injury, which he suffered during a fall at the training camp, further worsened and was replaced by all-rounder Bilawal Bhatti in the team for the New Zealand series.

The PCB, meanwhile, has asked the ICC to set a date for the bio-mechanics test on the bowling action of Mohammad Hafeez so that he can get his ban overturned ahead of the World Cup.

The PCB expects the test to be conducted on Feb 5 in Brisbane after the Pakistan team arrives in the Australian city at the end of the tour of New Zealand on Feb 3.

Published in Dawn, January 22nd, 2015

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