It started when Pakistan’s cricket team was on the verge of collapsing, the captain and two key players were accused and found guilty in a spot fixing scandal and all of them were banned from playing cricket. It was in 2010, in England during a test match series, that Cricket Pakistan received a huge blow. When the then captain was dismissed in 2010, this man was given the toughest task: to lead a broken team. He was preferred for captaincy of the Pakistan Test team over many others who were more senior and more experienced. No doubt, that decision proved to be the best decision PCB had ever made.
Misbah-ul-Haq, a little boy form Mianwali who lost his father when he was in ninth grade and had faced endless difficulties in life, grew into a responsible, dedicated and intelligent man who led the Pakistan Cricket team out of the dark ditch in which they had fallen into the light of glory and brightness of success. Later in 2011, he was given the ODI captaincy when Shahid Afridi was removed as captain. Since then, this man has proved himself a true leader. His calm temperament had always been his biggest weapon. His consistent performance and the ability to bind the players into a team were the things that made him a real captain.
Since becoming captain, Misbah-ul-Haq’s achievements have been exemplary. But this big man will be seen no more in the grounds during ODIs or T20s; he has announced his retirement from limited overs cricket now that the Cricket World Cup has finished.
What this man has done for Pakistan’s cricket can never be overlooked. He has lead a bunch of inexperienced amateurs to fourteen consecutive international wins and twelve consecutive series wins. Misbah gave the Pakistani nation those victories that no one else could since Inzimam-ul-haq’s retirement. He led the Pakistani test team to a historic ‘White wash’ of the then Number 1 team, England, in a three match series in the UAE. He led the team to win the Asia Cup in 2012. That ended a twelve year wait for the trophy.
In 2013, he was the captain who led the team to win a series against India in India for the first time in six years. Before that, only Australia had beaten India in their home in 2009. In the Champions Trophy 2013, Misbah was the lone ranger. When all others failed, he stood firm and fought, though he could not be successful. He scored 173 runs at an average of 86.5 in that edition of the tournament. Misbah became the first Asian captain to win a series against South Africa in their backyard, in a bilateral series. Under his leadership, Pakistan made the fastest run chase ever in the history of test cricket. He, later, led the team to white wash the Mighty Aussies in a test series. This white wash was the first in 32 years and this was Pakistan’s first series win over Australia in twenty years.
Misbah’s team achievements were a result of the brilliant mind that he has. Geoff Lawson said about his intelligence:
“ He has the best cricketing brain and intellect in the country”
Sunil Gavasker once said about him,
“His brain works like a computer”
He has proved himself the best captain Pakistan cricket has had since the era of Imran Khan. His dedication towards the game has been exceptional.
All this aside, his individual performance has been as great as it could be. Throughout his career, this man has faced cruel criticism. People called him ‘tuk tuk’ for this slow batting style, people on media have used harsh words for him but he stood strong. He stayed calm and never answered to any such thing anywhere but on the pitch. Misbah silenced his critics through his performances. His calm and cool nature helped him get through all the hard times without any controversy. His individual records are worth mentioning and remembering. He took only six months to make it to ‘The Wisden Forty’. He holds the record for most half centuries in a calendar year by a captain. He was ESPNcricinfo’s Batsman of the year in 2011. They called him ‘tuk tuk’ and he shut them all up by equalling the record of Sir Vivian Richards for the fastest century in the history of test cricket. He holds the record for most “6s” by a Pakistani captain and the highest ODI average of any Pakistani batsman. He is the one who has most ODI runs without scoring a century. Misbah surpassed the great Imran Khan to become the captain with most test wins (thirteen) for Pakistan. His performance with the bat is exceptional enough, but his fielding is a joy to behold too. From one-handed catches to direct hit run outs, this man has done it all and done it all in style.
No words can define what a good leader Misbah-ul-haq has been. He brought discipline to the team who was struck by the lightning of spot-fixing. Under his captaincy, there have been no scandals or controversies related to the Pakistan cricket team. From 1998 until 2015, this veteran played 162 ODIs and scored 5122 runs at an average of 43.40. With 425 boundaries and 42 ODI fifties, this man has left the grounds of limited overs cricket. Despite the fact that during the final presentation of ICC World Cup 2015 Finale, the presenter did not mention this man’s name in the list of the legends who have said farewell to cricket, all the cricket fans and experts will never forget him in reality. Misbah-ul-Haq has been a hero for Pakistan Cricket and always will be. His name will be written alongside the names of Jawed Miandad and Imran Khan. And his leadership will always be missed.
Thank you Misbah-ul-haq for all you have done. You have no replacement.
