Misbah weighs in on India-Pakistan discussion

Pakistan's Test captain Misbah-ul-Haq reiterated that he wants to play Tests against India, but observed that politics has to be kept away from sport if the two countries needed resumption of bilateral cricket ties.

Misbah..."Unless politics is kept away from cricket, there can’t be a resumption of bilateral ties."

Pakistan's Test captain Misbah-ul-Haq has said politics is to be kept out of cricket if India and Pakistan needed to resume bilateral cricket ties.

“As a player I would like to play against India. I would want to captain our side against them. But unless politics is kept away from cricket, there can’t be a resumption of bilateral ties,” Misbah told reporters here.

The long-serving captain, despite leading Pakistan since 2010 in Tests, is yet to play in a Test against India. He has captained the side against the arch-rival in limited-overs matches. India has not played a proper bilateral Test series against Pakistan since 2007 when Misbah toured India with the national side.

Misbah said Pakistan had always pushed for resumption of bilateral ties but the response from India had been indifferent.

BCCI president Anurag Thakur recently said there was no question of playing against Pakistan in the current scenario and that has not gone down well with Pakistan's cricket fans and former players.

Former players have ridiculed the statement by Thakur, pointing out that India had avoided playing against Pakistan in a bilateral series since the last nine years.