Pakistan captain Misbahul Haq hopes international cricket will soon return to the country as he celebrated the team's climb to the top of the Test rankings by being awarded the ceremonial mace to mark the achievement Tuesday. It was a poignant occasion for the 42-year-old Misbah as he accepted the silver and gold-plated trophy at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, a venue where Pakistan played its last Test on home soil. An attack on the Sri Lanka team bus in the city in 2009 led to Pakistan's exclusion from hosting major international tours with the side forced to play ‘home' games in the United Arab Emirates ever since. "There can't be a better location to receive the ICC Test Championship mace than this ground," Misbah said after receiving the trophy from International Cricket Council (ICC) Chief Executive David Richardson. "It is ironic for both the players as well as the fans that the journey to the No. 1 position has been (made) outside Pakistan. "The players have missed on the crowd support, while the spectators have been unable to watch live some magnificent team and individual performances. But I am confident that things will change and international cricket will soon return to Pakistan. "Credit should be given to the families (as well). The families of the players really sacrificed lot of things ... we have to play almost six-seven months out of country, and that's difficult," the skipper added. "Circumstances in the world really have got quite difficult from a security point of view, (and) Pakistan has been probably hardest hit than any other country," Richadson said. "It's not me or the ICC that needs to be convinced. It's the security consultants who are advising the players, who are advising the teams, and that's really out of our control." Undaunted by the isolation, Misbah's men have recently beaten Australia and England in the UAE, drawn with New Zealand, and earned impressive away series wins in Sri Lanka and Bangladesh before this year's 2-2 draw in England. Pakistan was then elevated to No. 1 in the rankings without bowling a ball after table-topping India was denied the 3-0 series win it needed to retain top spot against West Indies last month when the final Test ended in a damp draw. "The next target we have set for ourselves is to finish as the No. 1 ranked Test side at the April 1 cutoff date," said Misbah, referring to the prize money on offer to the ranking leaders on that day. "It is not going to be easy as we have series against formidable sides like the West Indies, New Zealand and Australia. "But instead of getting overawed by our opponents, we need to trust in our abilities, focus on our strengths and try to be as consistent as possible." — Agencies
