Misbah vs Sarfraz —Pakistan’s past and future

On September 24, 2007, in the World T20 final against India, 33-year-old T20 specialist Misbahul Haq played a scoop sweep with six runs required off four balls.

The ball scooped up in the air and for a brief second it seemed destined to sail over the ropes. But instead it went straight into the grateful hands of Sreesanth at short fine-leg. India won the World T20 and Misbah, the hero of Pakistan’s unlikely chase till then, was cruelly denied eternal greatness after standing at its brink.



That failure in scenic Johannesburg changed Misbah. From a T20 specialist renowned for his big sixes, he became tuq-tuq; the epitome of safety-first cricket that, for better or for worse, has defined Pakistan cricket for the best part of a decade now. That shot made an old man of Misbah — wise but jaded, canny but wary, prolific but predictable.

On Tuesday, wearing the red of Islamabad United, he will lead his side out against Sarfraz Ahmed and his Quetta Gladiators in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) final. When the two shake hands during the toss, the country may get a glimpse of the two leaders of its past and future respectively.

Despite all his flaws with both bat and gloves, Sarfraz has emerged as Pakistan’s first-choice wicketkeeper — indicative more of the lack of viable options behind the stumps (read: Umar Akmal and Mohammad Rizwan) than of Sarfraz’s abilities.



ODI and T20I vice-captain Sarfraz has been impressive while leading Quetta and is in line to take over as skipper in both limited-over formats sooner rather than later. With Afridi retiring after the World T20 and question marks surrounding current ODI skipper Azhar Ali’s performance — both as batsman and captain — Sarfraz may find himself in the hot seat soon.

For almost his entire Test and, most of his, ODI career, Sarfraz has been Misbah’s understudy. He has worked under the man whose calm composure has guided Pakistan cricket from the brink of extinction to former glories — at least in the red-ball format.

But as much as he would have learnt over the last few years from a man 13 years his senior, Sarfraz is not Misbah; far from it. And his Quetta side — the first to qualify for both the play-offs and the final — are testimony to that.

On Tuesday, two starkly different personalities and captains will fight it out for the PSL trophy. Misbah will be his usual calm self, soaking up pressure and ensuring his players keep their wits about them when the going inevitably gets tough and they come under the cosh. Sarfraz will also be his usual self — doing his best impression of the energiser bunny, giving it his all, playing with his heart on his sleeve and ensuring his players do the same.

Even with the bat, 41-year-old Misbah is patience personified while 28-year-old Sarfraz can’t seem to stand still to save his life. Both are undoubtedly effective in their own styles, but they also have the tendency to look incredibly inelegant and to leave their fans utterly frustrated.



In Dubai, the grand old master takes on the sprightly young student, the Ghost of Christmas Past against the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come. There are sure to be fireworks, something has to give. Tuesday night may witness the changing of the guard.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 23^rd,  2016.

Like Sports on Facebook, follow @ETribuneSports on Twitter to stay informed and join in the conversation.