Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik has no concerns about his captaincy and said it was entirely with the Pakistan Cricket Board to decide on the matter.
KARACHI: Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik has no concerns about his captaincy and said it was entirely with the Pakistan Cricket Board to decide on the matter.
"Every player wants to captain his country and it is also a big honour for me. But I am not unduly worried about reports about my captaincy being under the scrutiny. It has been tough tour for all of us, including myself," he told after returning from India on Thursday.
Pakistan lost the one-day and Test series with Malik injured and unable to play in the last two Tests in Kolkata and Bangalore which were drawn.
This was Pakistan's first Test series defeat on Indian soil since 1979.
Malik's captaincy has come under the scanner and the PCB governing body meets tomorrow to deliberate on the tour.
Though they are rumours of some tough decisions by the Board, insiders say Malik is likely to be retained as captain till end of 2008.
Malik said he was learning everyday as captain and was confident of being successful in future.
"I know I can adjust to both one-day and Test cricket. My first few series have been tough learning experiences. But definitely, I would like the Board to be patient with me. The team has supported me."
Malik said he was very disappointed at losing both series but said the way the team fought hard in the last two Tests was heartening.
"It was frustrating to sit out there and not play in these important matches. But I was proud of the way the players responded to the first Test loss. It is not easy to comeback twice when the team batting first has scored over 600 runs," he said.
"No matter what sort of pitch you are playing on, the pressures of a 600 runs is always great, which is why I am happy at the way we batted to draw the last two Tests."
Malik said Pakistan suffered niggling injuries to its key bowlers at crucial times.
"The first Test was a close one and could have gone either way. We had one bad session on the fourth day and lost it. But credit to the Indians, they took full advantage of the opportunity given to them."
Malik also said fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar had not delivered as per expectations.
"I am not criticising him but everyone expected more from him. That did play a role in the outcome of the series. But nevertheless, these things happen and we have to move on.
"There is no doubt we have learnt a lot from the Indian tour and it will help us when we play Australia soon."
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