Misbah to receive Spirit of Cricket Trophy

Will become first-ever recipient of prestigious award

KARACHI: Retiring Test cricketer Misbahul Haq has won the hearts of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) with his good behaviour and will soon become the first-ever recipient of the Imtiaz Ahmed Spirit of Cricket Trophy, which will also earn him a cash prize of Rs500,000.

As per Daily Express, the board had announced a few months ago to award the Imtiaz Ahmed Spirit of Cricket Trophy, for which any team, player or official who played the game with its true spirit was eligible.

Further details reveal that Misbah has been chosen for the inaugural award due to his exemplary conduct on and off the field.

The decision was taken by a committee under the supervision of Professor Aijaz Farooqui, who is also a member of the PCB Governing Board.

The committee, whose other members were ICC umpire Ahsan Raza and referee Muhammad Anees, arrived at a decision during a recent meeting in Lahore, after which Chairman PCB Shaharyar Khan was consulted and a consensus was reached on Misbah's name.

Misbah is expected to be handed over the trophy during the board's annual General Body Meeting on May 7 in Lahore as he is currently busy leading the Test team on his farewell tour of the West Indies.

The Spirit of Cricket Trophy has been named after former Test cricketer Imtiaz Ahmed, who played under Abdul Hafeez Kardar as part of Pakistan's first-ever cricket team and passed away at the age of 88 on December 31, 2016.

The deceased was known as a reliable wicketkeeper and an aggressive batsman in his playing days and also coached the women's team following his retirement.