Today is the last day of Dominica Test match. It's not an ordinary day. Firstly, it might warrant all three possible results which isn't usually the case with all test matches. Secondly, two Pakistani Stalwarts are having their final days in the office. I'm following the match today the moment it went live. It shouldn't and couldn't have been missed. All the 11 members of Pakistani Cricket team as well as their support staff were getting their pictures taken. In the central spot were two indefatigable torch bearers of their team: Younus Khan and Misbah ul Haq. Today was their day. Yesterday, they both played their last innings in competitive cricket and left their team not too much strongly placed but no one really bothered about it. Misbah made 2 and fell to a filthy slog that was attempted on a delivery not 'that' fullish in length. Younus too fell to a sweep shot but it owed mostly to fielder's brilliance and his one-handed catch. But what happened before their coming to the middle of Dominica ground and after their dismissals summed up their play. They were given a guard of honor by Windies Cricket team players before they took guard and when they departed, Pakistani players did the same to them. Not for the first time though. When they took their guards in the first innings of Pakistan, similar acts were performed. Today as well. Even the commentators, Ramiz Raja and Jeff Dujon lost the counts of these guards of honor. This was just too much respect and one can only recall Sachin's retirement scenes at Wankhede in 2013 for any notion of resemblance. But boy, didn't these guys deserve it?
I hope you all are cricket fans out there and have some gumption about the feats of both Misbah and Younus which they achieved on Cricket field. If I am going to give you all a snapshot of their statistical achievements, it will only trivialize the lives and deeds of these two gentlemen of Cricket. So I won't be doing that. But I will attempt something.
I was lucky enough to have stood witness to both of their debuts. Younus made his against Sri Lanka. Misbah against the all-conquering Australian team of Steve Waugh in Colombo. Younus made it in year 2000. Misbah in 2002. They both were run-machines in domestic level cricket, so ascension to National team was only the matter of time. Only for Misbah it already became a major disturbance. He was 24 when he made his first class debut and in Pakistan, it's believed that if you couldn't make it to National team in your 20s, you must be an ordinary player (you could count a lot of example I'm sure). Anyhow, Misbah got a rough deal against the Australians and he failed miserably. He was out of the team and till 2007, his status with Pakistan team was of an infrequent traveler. Younus, meanwhile, was having problems of his own and that had gotta be related with his personality and behaviour. He was making runs and on his way to become part of Pakistan's greatest ever middle order with Inzamam ul Haq and Mohammad Yousuf. But he found himself in altercation with Pakistan Cricket Board and senior players like Inzi and Shahid Afridi. Pakistan was facing a problem of its own and that was off the field. But it led to the ban of staging international cricket in Pakistan and all the motivation of players playing in front of home crowd got evaporated on the face of it. Pakistan cricket was struggling, so was its players. They all still do.
Misbah has an MBA degree. He has worked for a textile company. When he became 30, he got married. He still had not a secure place in Pakistani team. All of his friends had moved on and made their careers in various fields of corporate sector. He didn't know what to do except playing cricket. He was doing good in it but no great. He was a trier though and knowing the unpredictable character of Pakistani cricket, he did get another recall before 2007 T20 World Cup. In the finals, we all know what he did but he also gave the world his resume of impressive strokeplay, mental fortitude and a very calm demeanor. Meanwhile, a year ago in 2006, Younus was asked to captain Pakistan because Inzi was banned for his conduct in 2006 Oval Test against England and Younus asked the PCB to make Misbah a part of his team. They gave him someone else. Younus, in the very first instance of Younus being Younus, snubbed the offer and his selection.
Then came the year of 2010. Pakistan Cricket in another fiasco. Another fixing saga of Pakistan Cricket has swallowed the legacies of Salman Butt and Mohammed Asif. let's leave Amir out of it for a while for he has got a 2nd chance. Now Misbah had been offered the captaincy of Pakistan team because 'there was really no one else'. He accepted it and embraced it. He made Pakistan, a team that doesn't play his home matches in its 'home' anymore the No.1 test team in the world. He became the most successful Pakistani Test Captain, statistically speaking, with a team of his own. He became of a bona fide Legend of World Cricket in the process. He is 42 now.
Between 2002 and 2014, Younus lost 7 extremely close members of his family. Yes 7. And all these times, he was on an active international tour or playing a test overseas. And all these times, he performed and delivered. He debuted in 2000 and played his 100th test match in 2016. Michael Clark debuted in 2004 and played his 100th test in 2013-14. But all this bitterness, personal losses, loss of Cricket at home/overseas and his combative personality didn't deter him from serving his country with distinction. When the likes of Inzi and Shahid were hogging the limelight of Pakistani fandom because of their charisma and that was hardly their fault, Younus and Misbah were coping criticism for not portraying the right attitude on and off-field. Younus superseded Javed Miandad's run tally to become Pakistan's highest scorer in test cricket and then improved upon it to such an extent that now even the most ruthless detractor of his will accord him the status of 'greatest ever Pakistan test batsman'. You couldn't have asked him for more. Just to put that in perspective, after winning Pakistan only its 2nd international ICC trophy in 2009 World T20, he was stripped of the captaincy and had to attend a senate hearing for 'disciplinary' reasons.
All that don't matter now perhaps or I'd hope so. Many contemporary Pakistani Cricket experts have already declared them to be 'greatest, arguably' in their respective craft and that's what should matter now. As I'm writing this post, West Indies are 6 wickets down in their pursuit of a target of 304 and Pakistan are only 4 wickets away from winning their maiden series on Caribbean soil. That would be a perfect send-off to these battle-hardened soldiers and a reminder to everyone that goodness still exist, it only needs proper caring to flourish.
So here goes two royal salutes to two of the greatest contemporary Pakistani Cricket Ambassadors......#YounusKhan & #MisbahUlHaq.......I shall #MisYou guys!!!!
I hope you all are cricket fans out there and have some gumption about the feats of both Misbah and Younus which they achieved on Cricket field. If I am going to give you all a snapshot of their statistical achievements, it will only trivialize the lives and deeds of these two gentlemen of Cricket. So I won't be doing that. But I will attempt something.
I was lucky enough to have stood witness to both of their debuts. Younus made his against Sri Lanka. Misbah against the all-conquering Australian team of Steve Waugh in Colombo. Younus made it in year 2000. Misbah in 2002. They both were run-machines in domestic level cricket, so ascension to National team was only the matter of time. Only for Misbah it already became a major disturbance. He was 24 when he made his first class debut and in Pakistan, it's believed that if you couldn't make it to National team in your 20s, you must be an ordinary player (you could count a lot of example I'm sure). Anyhow, Misbah got a rough deal against the Australians and he failed miserably. He was out of the team and till 2007, his status with Pakistan team was of an infrequent traveler. Younus, meanwhile, was having problems of his own and that had gotta be related with his personality and behaviour. He was making runs and on his way to become part of Pakistan's greatest ever middle order with Inzamam ul Haq and Mohammad Yousuf. But he found himself in altercation with Pakistan Cricket Board and senior players like Inzi and Shahid Afridi. Pakistan was facing a problem of its own and that was off the field. But it led to the ban of staging international cricket in Pakistan and all the motivation of players playing in front of home crowd got evaporated on the face of it. Pakistan cricket was struggling, so was its players. They all still do.
Misbah has an MBA degree. He has worked for a textile company. When he became 30, he got married. He still had not a secure place in Pakistani team. All of his friends had moved on and made their careers in various fields of corporate sector. He didn't know what to do except playing cricket. He was doing good in it but no great. He was a trier though and knowing the unpredictable character of Pakistani cricket, he did get another recall before 2007 T20 World Cup. In the finals, we all know what he did but he also gave the world his resume of impressive strokeplay, mental fortitude and a very calm demeanor. Meanwhile, a year ago in 2006, Younus was asked to captain Pakistan because Inzi was banned for his conduct in 2006 Oval Test against England and Younus asked the PCB to make Misbah a part of his team. They gave him someone else. Younus, in the very first instance of Younus being Younus, snubbed the offer and his selection.
Then came the year of 2010. Pakistan Cricket in another fiasco. Another fixing saga of Pakistan Cricket has swallowed the legacies of Salman Butt and Mohammed Asif. let's leave Amir out of it for a while for he has got a 2nd chance. Now Misbah had been offered the captaincy of Pakistan team because 'there was really no one else'. He accepted it and embraced it. He made Pakistan, a team that doesn't play his home matches in its 'home' anymore the No.1 test team in the world. He became the most successful Pakistani Test Captain, statistically speaking, with a team of his own. He became of a bona fide Legend of World Cricket in the process. He is 42 now.
Between 2002 and 2014, Younus lost 7 extremely close members of his family. Yes 7. And all these times, he was on an active international tour or playing a test overseas. And all these times, he performed and delivered. He debuted in 2000 and played his 100th test match in 2016. Michael Clark debuted in 2004 and played his 100th test in 2013-14. But all this bitterness, personal losses, loss of Cricket at home/overseas and his combative personality didn't deter him from serving his country with distinction. When the likes of Inzi and Shahid were hogging the limelight of Pakistani fandom because of their charisma and that was hardly their fault, Younus and Misbah were coping criticism for not portraying the right attitude on and off-field. Younus superseded Javed Miandad's run tally to become Pakistan's highest scorer in test cricket and then improved upon it to such an extent that now even the most ruthless detractor of his will accord him the status of 'greatest ever Pakistan test batsman'. You couldn't have asked him for more. Just to put that in perspective, after winning Pakistan only its 2nd international ICC trophy in 2009 World T20, he was stripped of the captaincy and had to attend a senate hearing for 'disciplinary' reasons.
All that don't matter now perhaps or I'd hope so. Many contemporary Pakistani Cricket experts have already declared them to be 'greatest, arguably' in their respective craft and that's what should matter now. As I'm writing this post, West Indies are 6 wickets down in their pursuit of a target of 304 and Pakistan are only 4 wickets away from winning their maiden series on Caribbean soil. That would be a perfect send-off to these battle-hardened soldiers and a reminder to everyone that goodness still exist, it only needs proper caring to flourish.
So here goes two royal salutes to two of the greatest contemporary Pakistani Cricket Ambassadors......#YounusKhan & #MisbahUlHaq.......I shall #MisYou guys!!!!
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