Asked how he felt being dropped from the ODIs against Australia a dejected Yunus Khan burst out 'Should I shoot myself?' And as the skipper, Misbah-ul-Haq, lost all the ODIs against Australia he considered opting out of the impending two-Test series. But they say cricket is a game of glorious uncertainties, and its heroes are never forgotten thanks to the meticulously-kept record of their achievements. At Abu Dhabi it was both: the losers won a stunning victory and in the process broke many records. The same Yunus stunned the world with his incredible performance - four centuries in two Tests, including one double century. And Misbah, the so-called 'tuk tuk' by our impatient media, put up a classic 'tha tha', smashing the fastest half century and then an equaliser to West Indian great Viv Richard's record of one hundred. Both came from behind and conquered the world of international cricket. But in totality it was not a one-man or two-man victory; it remains a shared glory as others' performance was equally stellar in their respective departments. If the batsmen tore through the Australian side by piling up huge scores the bowlers managed to keep the adversary on a tight leash. There were centuries by Sarfraz Ahmed, Azhar Ali and Ahmed Shehzad and back-breaking spells by the Pakistani bowlers, noticeably by the spin twins Zulfikar Babar and Yasir Shah. No wonder Misbah-ul-Haq and Yunus Khan join the list of greats of national cricket - Misbah has now equalled the record of Imran Khan and Javed Miandad as skippers for most (14) wins. Yunus Khan's centuries place him among the top batsmen of the world. The acknowledgement of Pakistan side's game-changer has come from no less than Australian captain Michael Clarke - "I think Misbah-ul-Haq and his team played some outstanding cricket in both Tests and we've certainly been outplayed". The whitewash over Australia catapults Pakistan in the third Test ranking, outstripping England, Sri Lanka and India.
Howsoever sweet this victory may be it should not be oblivious of challenges the Pakistan XI is expected to encounter in coming weeks and months. Not only the form has to be maintained the belief, that Misbah rightly said won him the Tests against Australia, has to be nurtured and retained for similar performance against New Zealand in the three Test series in the UAE next month. And even more importantly the tempo has to be kept apace for the World Cup early next year. Of course, it is vitally critical that the players retain their form. But no less crucially, perhaps even more importantly, it is imperative on the part of the selectors and the higher cricket bureaucracy to remove uncertainty, in any form, over selection that haunts the potential players. No doubt by reaffirming that Misbah would be Pakistan captain till the World Cup the PCB chairman had helped him win against Australia in the latest Test series. Likewise, Yunus whose first hundred against Australia had acted as inspiration and much-needed morale booster would be part of the squad to be sent for the World Cup. This victory was no mean victory; with key bowlers like Saeed Ajmal, Junaid Khan and Wahab Riaz missing from the scene Pakistan has inflicted a stunning defeat on the Aussies. According to Shahryar Khan, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman, whitewashing Australia shall remain a proud moment in the history of Pakistan's Test cricket. No doubt, Pakistan has a huge reservoir of cricket talent, but its fuller exploitation remains unaccomplished because of negative politics besetting the sport. Maybe, with Shahryar Sahib now in the driving seat the national cricket will recover its erstwhile prestige and glory.
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