Pakistan captain Misbah to retire after Windies Tests

[ghazi52]

Pakistan captain Misbah to retire after Windies Tests

LAHORE: Pakistan Test Captain Misbah-ul-Haq has announced retirement from international cricket a day after Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chief spoke about the skipper’s future.

The series in West Indies will be my last as I feel that time is up to say goodbye to international cricket, Misbah said, adding that he had wished to play against India but unfortunately it did not happen.

On Wednesday, Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack named Misbah and Younis Khan among the ‘Cricketers of the Year’, an honour Pakistani duo received almost ten years after Mohammad Yousuf marched into the elite club.

Misbah took reigns of cricket team in 2010 after a spot-fixing scandal that shattered Pakistan’s image globally. Since then he led the team despite criticism from several quarters and put it on a winning path. Under his captaincy Pakistan became the no 1 Test side last year.

I am satisfied and happy with the way I have played all over these years for my country, Misbah told journalists at Gaddafi Stadium, where the players are training for the Test series against West Indies. Holding the ICC Test Championship mace was one of the best moments of my career, he said.

Commenting on the development, cricket legend Wasim Akram said this is the right decision by him and at the right time, the whole nation must pay respect to the skipper and he should be given a grand farewell.

His calm approach towards detractors in a country where cricket is the most popular thing has win accolades. The most remarkable aspect about Misbah is his unflappable temperament, his ESPNCricinfo profile says.

International Career:

Till date, Misbah has played 72 Test matches for Pakistan, scoring 4,951 runs at an average of 44.48. He has 10 centuries and 36 half-centuries to his credit with a highest score of 161.

In ODIs, Misbah scored 5,122 runs in 162 matches at an average of 43.40. His highest ODI score was 96. He only played 39 T20 internationals, scoring 788 runs at an average of 37.52. High highest score in T20 was 87.

 

[ghazi52]

Misbah does more with a shrug than most men do with a gun
Jarrod Kimber.

Misbahul Haq poses with the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup Trophy in front of Badshahi Mosque in Lahore

Misbah guides the ball to third man at Lord’s, it makes him a hundred. Usually, that is the big story, but as the old MCC men slowly rise, this man – very nearly as old as some of them – sprints past the crease, smiles at his balcony and salutes. It might have been the least Misbah thing he has ever done, and the most Misbah thing he has ever done.

Flowing locks, young, beautiful, carefree, a sense of swagger, maybe some danger, a heart-breaker, a person who you notice when you enter a room, a person who demands you notice them when they enter a room, that is what Pakistanis think of when they think of their ideal forms. Every country has this mistaken romantic view of their perfect beings, the all-American square-jawed boy next door, the cheeky but tough ocker Aussie guy and Pakistan’s is this charismatic hybrid of Shahid Afridi and Imran Khan; the sort that could ride topless into a battle on a white stallion clutching only his bat, with his men following behind him.

An illustration of Misbah doing that would be for satire. When he talks at press conferences, he often just stares at the base of the cameras and gives flat answers. His TV work is often that of the disinterested professor. Even when he remembers to dye his beard, there is no eternal youth of Afridi. He is certainly not an ugly man, but he’s certainly not hot, and he’s not getting mistaken for a stud. There is not a father in all of Pakistan who could legitimately object to Misbah marrying his daughter. He comes across as friendly, intellectual and maybe with a touch of dry humour to him that he only uses in exceptional circumstances.

Stare at any father making a long road trip with wife, kids, and a car full of stuff, and you can see a bit of Misbah in all of them.

He is not the warrior leader, bat flashing above his head, Pakistan thought they wanted.

For the longest time, this was counted against him. He didn’t have the passion and fierceness of Younis Khan, he wasn’t like Shahid Afridi in any way other than they are both mammals, and he wasn’t Imran Khan. In fact, there were probably a few things that they shared, the Imran Khan of our dreams, arms raised, green shirt on, is not the only Imran Khan. The other Imran Khan is the one nervously explaining to Ian Chappell what a cornered tiger does. But our Imran Khan, he’s a magnificent stallion, a world boss before there was such a term. Misbah is a bookkeeper at a belt loop manufacturer in comparison.

In Gladiator there is a scene where the son bemoans that the father never respected him. Commodus says to Marcus Aurelius:

“You wrote to me once, listing the four chief virtues: wisdom, justice, fortitude and temperance. As I read the list, I knew I had none of them. But I have other virtues, father. Ambition. That can be a virtue when it drives us to excel. Resourcefulness, courage, perhaps not on the battlefield, but ... there are many forms of courage. Devotion, to my family and to you. But none of my virtues were on your list. Even then it was as if you didn't want me for your son.”

Misbah could, if he wanted, probably trot out all of his amazing virtues, academic, dispassion, sturdiness, and focus all essential in a leader, but he is not the warrior leader, bat flashing above his head, Pakistan thought they wanted.

Imran might be the Pakistani of folklore, Afridi might be the Pakistan of fantasy, but Misbah is the Pakistan of reality.

Misbahul Haq in action against the West Indies in UAE | Courtesy PCB


Asuited man with a round face who seemed to have no real place with the Pakistan cricket team followed them around England. He was no coach, nor administrator, his cricket background was mainly as a fan, and he wasn’t Pakistani, but English. But the reason this man was with the Pakistan team in England was that they were concerned with what might happen on their first tour back since the fixing ordeal.

Would the tabloids attack them? Would cynical English cricket writers question every move their players made, looking for more criminals? Would the right-wing writers use them as a punching bag? Would they bear some of the brunt of an England that was becoming increasingly Islamophobic? Or worst of all, would one of their players make another terrible error?

 

[HAIDER]

His beard is getting bigger and bigger.... lolz..

 

[AZADPAKISTAN2009]

Good Leader , it was very proper while he was on charge

 

[Mumm-Ra]

Great man...He proved himself against all odds. I use to think he was a jacka$$ as well in the beginning but this guy proved me as well as all his critics wrong. The next captain has some very big shoes to fill. Good bye Captain...

 

[Arsalan]

Excellent servant of Pakistan cricket and a great great player in my opinion. Faced the most criticism as being slow but replied with the worlds fastest test hundred, always our Mr. Reliable and a cool and calm customer.

We will miss you sir and the test team wont be the same without you.

(Thinking about times when our test team wont have Misbah and Younis is a sad sad thing for me, it always have been this way. )