Misbah Ul Haq finally walks into the sunset

Misbah Ul Haq doused speculation of his playing future by announcing his retirement in a press conference in Lahore

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Misbah-ul-Haq
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Pakistan’s Misbah ul-Haq. (Photo by PAUL ELLIS/AFP/Getty Images)

Misbah Ul Haq finally called time on his international career for Pakistan. He was under immense scrutiny for the past few months, following series defeats in New Zealand and Australia. Misbah announced at a press conference in Lahore that the 3-match Test series in West Indies, scheduled to begin on April 21, will be his last as a Pakistan cricketer.

Misbah has been the most interesting chapter in Pakistan cricket. He is the man who led Pakistan out of the spot-fixing saga in 2010 successfully. He was inspirational both on and off the field. Nobody would have envisaged that Misbah will go on to become the most successful captain in Pakistan’s cricketing history. He has 24 wins out of 53 Test matches as captain and also led them to the No. 1 Test ranking last year.

He was severely criticised for his slow batting approach with critics often labeling him as ‘tuk tuk Misbah’. But Misbah, being a team man, knew what his team required the most and batted according to the situation of the game. He could hit the ball otherwise, as he displayed in his 56-ball hundred against Australia in 2014 – which was the joint fastest hundred in the history of Test cricket at that time – and still is the fastest Test fifty ever. Misbah’s career will always be remembered and cherished by sane cricket fans.

Here is a list of his Top 5 knocks of his Test career:

161* Vs India at Eden Gardens, Kolkata 2007:

Misbah made a comeback to the Pakistan Test fold this year after a gap of 4 years. The right-handed batsman registered his maiden Test hundred at the Eden Gardens, pulling Pakistan out of deep trouble. With the help of Kamran Akmal, he helped Pakistan from a precarious position of 150/5 to 357/6. India had already amassed 616 in their first innings and were looking to wrap up the game by an innings.

Misbah batted with a lot of poise against a bowling attack which boosted of Harbhajan and Kumble: who arguably were at the peak of their careers. Batting at No. 5, Misbah remained unbeaten at 161 at the end of the Pakistan innings. It was a priceless knock for the team which not only saved them from following-on but also demoralized the strong Indian side. The knock was studded with 13 boundaries and a six and came off 351 balls.

The game eventually was drawn and Misbah was the guy who made it possible with his gritty unbeaten knock in the first innings.

99 & 70* Vs New Zealand at Basin Reserve, Wellington 2011:

Misbah enjoyed some of his best batting days after he was appointed the captain of the Test side in 2010. At the Basin Reserve against the Kiwis, Misbah labored through the entire Test match to help Pakistan hold to their 1-0 lead in the 2-match Test series. This series win was Pakistan’s first outside the sub-continent in almost 8 years.

Misbah was unlucky to be dismissed one run short of what would have been his third Test century. He was trapped in front by Chris Martin but not before he helped Pakistan in gaining a crucial slender lead of 20 runs. Misbah batted beautifully for his 99 an innings which included 16 boundaries.

Set a target of 274 on Day 5, Pakistan were in all sorts of trouble when Misbah strode out to the middle at the score of 42/3. He stitched together an impressive 118- run rearguard partnership with Younis Khan. New Zealand could sniff victory post-Younis’s departure but Misbah stood like a rock in tricky New Zealand conditions. He remained unbeaten at 70 till the stumps were drawn and faced a mammoth 226 balls for his runs. Pakistan achieved a rarer overseas Test series win on the backs of Misbah’s twin fifties in the last Test match.

102* Vs West Indies at Warner Park, St Kitts 2011:

Just four months after a memorable Test series win in New Zealand; Misbah helped Pakistan in drawing the series against West Indies in their own backyard. This time Pakistan were in a good position when Misbah came into bat. Opener Taufeeq Umar scored a brilliant 135 in the second innings to give Pakistan control in the 2nd and final Test match. Pakistan was in need of quick runs and Misbah provided just that.

He came in with an attacking mindset. Pakistan were ahead in the game but time could have been a factor as they had to get 10-second innings wickets of West Indies. Misbah had it all worked out and showed intent right from the word go. He declared the innings at the score of 377/6 just after he had reached his third century of his career. He faced just 141 balls in his innings which was studded with 10 fours and two sixes. Pakistan bowler’s bundled West Indies out for 230 giving Pakistan a 196-run victory. Misbah was one of the chief architects of this victory.

101 & 101* Vs Australia at Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi 2014:

This was arguably the best moment for Misbah Ul Haq in a Pakistani shirt. He scored twin hundreds against Australia – one of them was the joint fastest hundred ever that time – and became the only captain in the history of cricket to score 2 hundreds in the same Test against Australia. To top it all, his efforts helped Pakistan whitewash Australia in the 2-match Test series. Australia was beaten comprehensively by 356 runs in this test match.

In quest of quick runs in the second innings, Misbah came out to bat with a T20 mindset. He started attacking early in his innings and was particularly severe on Steve Smith. He batted like a man possessed and recorded the fastest Test fifty ever in just 21 balls, a record which is going to stay for a while. He was in the zone and kept hitting the balls bowled into his arc. He eventually got to his second hundred of the match off just 56 balls, equally Sir Viv Richards’ long-standing record of the fastest hundred in Test cricket. The knock included as many as 5 sixes and 11 boundaries.

The first innings hundred was sedate compared to the second one where he, in the company of Younis Khan, helped Pakistan get to 570 runs in the first innings. Misbah added 236 runs for the fourth wicket which led the foundation of a big total. He scored 101 off 168 balls before giving a return catch to the leg-spin of Steve Smith.

114 Vs England at Lord’s, London 2016:

42-year old Misbah was seen doing push-ups after completing a memorable Test century at the Mecca of cricket: The Lord’s Cricket Ground. Not many gave Pakistan a chance when they left for the shores of England. Misbah immediately proved people wrong, courtesy a brilliant Test hundred in the first Test which eventually culminated into a victory. Misbah, in the process, became the oldest Test captain to record a Test match hundred.

The Pakistan captain got himself on the honors board in his maiden first-class innings at the Lord’s. He acknowledged Pakistan pre-season boot camp, where they trained with the army, by saluting them and followed it up by doing ten push-ups, which he had promised to do if he reached a hundred. His knock helped Pakistan get to a decent first innings total (339), which eventually proved decisive as the match progressed. His knock was filled with brilliant strokes and included 18 boundaries.

 

With Misbah set to walk into retirement after the West Indies series, his fans across the world are hoping for a fairytale finish. Misbah will end his career just 2 weeks short of his 43rd birthday. He has got nothing to prove to anyone and must enjoy his last series for Pakistan.

With the form he displayed recently in the PSL, he looks good to add to his tally of 4951 Test runs and 10 centuries.

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