SYDNEY // Coach Mickey Arthur urged veteran Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq on Thursday to continue playing despite a difficult tour of Australia, saying he was an “integral” part of the team.
Misbah went back on comments he made after last week’s series-losing Melbourne Test that he intended to retire and is leading Pakistan in this week’s final Test in Sydney.
Pakistan’s most successful captain, who has scored a total of 20 runs in four innings in the series, said his remarks after the innings and 18 runs defeat in Melbourne were triggered by frustration.
Misbah is expected to make a decision on his Test career upon his return home, but Arthur said the 42-year-old leader remained an integral part of Pakistan’s team-rebuilding plans.
Arthur said he had spoken to the captain after the Melbourne Test and that Misbah had been “shattered”.
“Misbah is a guy with such high morals and high values and high standards. He was shattered he hadn’t contributed,” Arthur told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation at the Sydney Test. “But we said we would discuss it the next two days and we had a day off and had the chat and never mentioned it again.
“From that time he was totally committed to certainly playing this Test.
“I’m hoping he continues as I think he is integral – him and I in terms of our working relationship, in terms of building the team in the next phase.”
It has been a difficult series for Misbah, whose fielding has been badly exposed along with questions over his field placements and bowling changes.
“We can’t work any harder at our fielding,” Arthur said. “We catch balls continuously and [fielding coach] Steve Rixon works the guys hard and fielding has been a massive frustration for us.”
“We set ourselves a helluva high standard and we are falling short in the fielding department by a long way. We have just got to keep on plugging away and make sure we get better at it.
“We certainly don’t want to be labelled as a poor fielding team, certainly in my duration with the Pakistan team.”
Pakistan ended Day 3 of the Sydney Test on 271 for eight in reply to Australia’s 538 for eight declared. Younis Khan scored his 34th Test hundred as he stayed unbeaten on 136.
sports@thenational.ae
Follow us on Twitter @NatSportUAE
Like us on Facebook at facebook.com/TheNationalSport
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
Islamophobia definition
A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Name: Peter Dicce
Title: Assistant dean of students and director of athletics
Favourite sport: soccer
Favourite team: Bayern Munich
Favourite player: Franz Beckenbauer
Favourite activity in Abu Dhabi: scuba diving in the Northern Emirates
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
Thor: Ragnarok
Dir: Taika Waititi
Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Cate Blanchett, Jeff Goldblum, Mark Ruffalo, Tessa Thompson
Four stars
Silent Hill f
Publisher: Konami
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Rating: 4.5/5
At Eternity’s Gate
Director: Julian Schnabel
Starring: Willem Dafoe, Oscar Isaacs, Mads Mikkelsen
Three stars
Terror attacks in Paris, November 13, 2015
- At 9.16pm, three suicide attackers killed one person outside the Atade de France during a foootball match between France and Germany
- At 9.25pm, three attackers opened fire on restaurants and cafes over 20 minutes, killing 39 people
- Shortly after 9.40pm, three other attackers launched a three-hour raid on the Bataclan, in which 1,500 people had gathered to watch a rock concert. In total, 90 people were killed
- Salah Abdeslam, the only survivor of the terrorists, did not directly participate in the attacks, thought to be due to a technical glitch in his suicide vest
- He fled to Belgium and was involved in attacks on Brussels in March 2016. He is serving a life sentence in France
UK's plans to cut net migration
Under the UK government’s proposals, migrants will have to spend 10 years in the UK before being able to apply for citizenship.
Skilled worker visas will require a university degree, and there will be tighter restrictions on recruitment for jobs with skills shortages.
But what are described as "high-contributing" individuals such as doctors and nurses could be fast-tracked through the system.
Language requirements will be increased for all immigration routes to ensure a higher level of English.
Rules will also be laid out for adult dependants, meaning they will have to demonstrate a basic understanding of the language.
The plans also call for stricter tests for colleges and universities offering places to foreign students and a reduction in the time graduates can remain in the UK after their studies from two years to 18 months.
The%20Hunger%20Games%3A%20The%20Ballad%20of%20Songbirds%20%26%20Snakes
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%C2%A0Francis%20Lawrence%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%C2%A0%3C%2Fstrong%3ERachel%20Zegler%2C%20Peter%20Dinklage%2C%20Viola%20Davis%2C%20Tom%20Blyth%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E3%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
