KARACHI: Pakistan captain Misbah ul Haq is unlikely to lead the team in the second Test against New Zealand in Hamilton after a family emergency has forced him to take a flight back to Pakistan.
Sources in Pakistan team confirmed that Misbah is returning to Pakistan from New Zealand from the “first available flight” due to illness of his father-in-law.
The second Test between Pakistan and New Zealand will be played from November 25 in Hamilton.
Pakistan’s vice captain in Tests and ODI captain Azhar Ali will lead the team in the match in case of Misbah’s unavailability, which seems certain.
This will be Misbah’s first absence after 34 consecutive Tests for the team. He, in the Christchurch Test, also became the first Pakistani and the third Asian to lead the team in 50 Test matches.
New Zealand beat Pakistan by eight wickets in the first Test at Hagley Oval in Christchurch on Sunday to snap a four-Test losing streak.
Set 105 to win in their second innings, New Zealand reached their target after lunch on the fourth day of the low-scoring match with debutant Jeet Raval finishing on 36 not out.
