Misbah says career would have ended long ago if he listened to critics

Johannesburg: Pakistani Test and ODI captain Misbah-ul-Haq has slammed his critics, saying that his career would have ended long ago if he had listened to them.

Cricket experts came down hard on Misbah after Pakistan was upset by Zimbabwe in Harare last month although Misbah came back strong in leading his side to its own stunning victory, a seven-wicket defeat of top-ranked South Africa in their first Test last week. According to Sport24, Misbah said that he is not bothered by what people are saying because if he had listened to them, his career would have been over in 2001, adding that he knows what he is doing after playing 15-20 years of cricket. Misbah, who tops the world this year with 1 441 international runs that include 480 in six Tests and 961 in 21 one-day internationals, further said that he just focuses on doing well in every game. A draw in the second Test in Dubai will give Pakistan its first Test series victory against the Proteas since they beat Graeme Smith`s team in 2003 at home, the report added.