The magnificence of Misbahul Haq

In his maiden Test appearance at the home of cricket, Misbahul Haq did what some of the modern day batting greats have failed to do in their illustrious careers — score a Test century at Lord’s. Sachin Tendulkar, Brian Lara and Ricky Ponting are some of the big names that don’t feature on the Lord’s honours board, but after a brilliant 114, Misbah has etched his name on the board for posterity.

Misbah had to wait longer than anyone of his peers for a Test appearance at Lord’s; there were serious question marks over his technique in English conditions and how he was not known to score runs outside of Asia, but like a man as determined as the Australian legend Steve Waugh, Misbah, too, proved his detractors wrong for the umpteenth time in his stellar career. Before the tour, many pundits, including some of Pakistani present and former cricketers, were unsure about Misbah’s capacity to tackle the seam and swing of the English bowlers; many others believed that his advancing years would have slowed down his reflexes which would make him a ‘walking wicket’ for the opposing bowlers.

But none of that was at display in the first Lord’s innings. Instead, Misbah played with an air of a man incredibly robust in the mind — ready to grind his way through hard-hitting times and stamp his authority on the game.

Misbah set the game up for his bowlers during the match, and Pakistan was bestowed with a great platform by him, courtesy of his impeccable batting. Yasir Shah then dismantled the host batting line-up with clinical ease in the first innings. Undoubtedly, Misbah and Yasir have laid the foundations of a historic win for the tourists at the hub of cricket, and a victory would be a befitting tribute to the captain of Pakistan who has singlehandedly ambushed the criticism labelled against him in the years gone by.

Misbah is at the cusp of a historic win at Lord’s and it took him 42 years to get to this echelon — as they say good things come to those who wait, and yes, Misbah did wait!

Published in The Express Tribune, July 18^th, 2016.

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