Reaching new heights

For the first time since the inception of the rankings system by the ICC, Pakistan have reached the number one position in the Test standings, and captain Misbahul Haq deserves rich accolades for the phenomenal achievement, which comes on the back of six years of extreme hard work. Forced to play their home Tests in the UAE and scarred by the spot-fixing saga, few would have predicted such dizzying heights for Pakistan when Misbah was appointed captain in 2010.  He has been able to mould a side with plenty of fighting spirit and while it may not be blessed with the kind of natural brilliance and flair that was the hallmark of the team of the ‘90s, the present Test stars have achieved their success through hard work and determination.

Pakistan are the only Test team to have remained unbeaten in a series since handing Australia a 2-0 drubbing in October 2014. Since then, Misbah’s charges have won 10 out of their 17 Tests, including series wins over Australia, England, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. The crowning glory was the massive victory over England at the Oval, which squared the four-match series 2-2 and enabled Pakistan to climb the number two spot behind India. The rain-marred draw between India and the West Indies in Trinidad pushed the former down to the number two spot, with Pakistan reaching top of the Test pile.

With there being little difference in terms of the number of points among the top four teams in the ICC rankings, the next challenge for Pakistan will be to stay at or close to the number one spot. The series against West Indies in the UAE and subsequent tours to New Zealand and Australia will provide a tough challenge in this regard. Another challenge for Pakistan is to improve their fortunes in limited-overs cricket as well. With a five-match ODI series against England starting today, ninth-ranked Pakistan have a mountain to climb. But they can surely take inspiration from the achievements of the Test side as they aim to win an ODI series against England for the first time in 42 years.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 24^th, 2016.

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