From knees to shoulders; Rise of Misbah ul Haq

An era of great international careers came to an end on May 14th, when two of the finest Pakistani cricketers, Younis Khan and Misbah ul Haq retired from the Test cricket taking with some fine and amazing memories.

Who would have thought, once again a man from Mianwali will rule Pakistan cricket not in the way the great Imran Khan did but as effectively.

Misbah, who made his debut against New Zealand way back in 2001 failed to impress selectors and was dropped from the team in 2002. After being on the sidelines and ignored, for five years

Misbah was thinking to quit cricket.

However, his three tons in five domestic matches earned him a call in the team at the ripe age of 33 for the International Cricket Council (ICC) World T20 in 2007.

Before leaving the tournament Misbah said:

“I’m going to win this tournament for Pakistan.”

After a splendid display of hitting throughout the tournament, Misbah who was now Mr. Dependable faced one of the most devastating cricketing moments that too in the final, after he gave away his wicket in the final over of the game against India which cost Pakistan the title.

He scored 218 runs at an average of 31.14 in seven matches including final and semi final, during the tournament.

The year 2009 too was harsh towards Misbah as he was dropped again from the squad.

However, after the infamous spot-fixing scandal involving the trio Salman Butt, Muhammad Asif and Muhammad Amir , in 2010. Misbah was unexpectedly recalled to the side and was made captain in the clerk's room.

During 2011-2013, when the future of cricket was at its bleakest, Misbah became one of the most consistent batsmen in the side. He achieved the feat of being the only Pakistani captain to defeat England in a series, 3-0.

But continued to face constant criticism for being 'too defensive' earning him the title Tuk Tuk, Misbah resigned as T20 captain but retained the Test and ODI captaincy

Meanwhile, Misbah continued to flourish as he became the first Pakistani and only Asian captain to defeat Proteas in South Africa.

During 2014-16, his batting consistency continues, and was now called the ‘man of crisis,’ his popularity increased after Misbah helped the team to chase a record total against Sri Lanka in a Test in Sharjah.

Predictably Pakistan team was hit by unexpected bans and injuries just ahead of the ICC World Cup 2015, , with leading wicket-takers, Mohammad Hafeez and Saeed Ajmal facing ban from bowling while Junaid Khan getting ruled out of the event due to injury.

Despite the odds Misbah led the side to the knock out stages and were eventually eliminated from the tournament by Australia, also marking the end of Misbah's ODI career along with Shahid Afridi.

Bidding goodbye to limited overs, Misbah flourished in Tests, as he continued to pile up records, becoming Pakistan’s most successful Test captain (20 wins). He almost announced his retirement from the game but on the request of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) he prolong his career till 2016 for the upcoming England, West Indian and Australian series.

At the age of 42, Misbah notched on of his most famous century in his very first Test match in England at Lords and chose a unique way of celebration which became a worldwode frenzy of its own.

After leveling the series against England 2-2, Pakistan attained one of the greatest achievemnt of its cricketing history after it was crowned the No 1 Test team in the world, Misbah was given the Test Championship mace.

However, things took an ugly turn as Pakistan suffered a disastrous tour Down Under, with calls for Misbah to quit the game became all to apparent, but Misbah has other plans as he eyed one more achievemnt under the illustrious belt i.e. to beat West Indies at West Indies and May 14th was the day when this final task was finally accomplished.