Final Chapter of Misbah ul Haq & Younis Khan
The two pillars of Pakistan Test Team will depart from International Cricket after the all-important series against West Indies in West Indies. Misbah ul Haq was made the Test Captain and Younis came back in the team. Since its spot-fixing scandal, Pakistan has never looked back and these two selfless hardworking individuals along with other team members were able to maintain a very positive image of Pakistan Cricket in the Cricketing World.
Pakistan defeated No.1 Team England 3-0 in 2012, and then defeated No.1 Team Australia 2-0 in 2014. Pakistan has not lost a single home series since 2010. Pakistan toured England for the first time since 2010 and also drew the Test Series after almost 2 decades, which took Pakistan to No.1 Spot in ICC Test Ranking after which Misbah ul Haq was given ICC Test Mace which was the first time a Pakistani captain achieved it.
Younis and Misbah are essential ingredients in the Pakistani Test Team and it would be extremely difficult for the team to carry on without them after their retirement. Misbah’s calm and Younis’s patience takes the team’s attitude to an inspired level.
Focusing on the current series against West Indies, there are a few milestones, which would be under consideration of these two ambassadors of Pakistan Cricket. Firstly Younis Khan needs 23 runs to complete his 10,000 Test Runs which will make him first Pakistani to achieve the feat. Misbah ul Haq needs 49 more runs to complete his 5,000 Test Runs; moreover, this series win would make Misbah ul Haq the first Pakistani Captain to defeat West Indies in West Indies and would also make the Asian Captain would most series win away from home.
Pakistan is a country with huge cricket fan following including many emotional fans, Paper Crush interviews few die heart cricket fans and here is what they think about these great’s players,
“Misbah and Younis played their role beyond expectations. They were more than leaders, and reunited Pakistan team from where many of the greatest leaders of all time can’t recover. They were simply Incredible. “ – Moeez Abid, 17, Faisalabad, student
“7 years of hard work, dedication, determination and passion, stepping up ahead to fight crisis for their nation, the two KINGS are set to hand the throne over with valued dignity” – Adnan Ellahi, 16, Dubai, student.
Pakistan Test Captain also expresses his feelings on this emotional moment,
“I am satisfied with what I have achieved in my career. Yes, there are times when you think you could have achieved more but that’s human nature. If I hark back to 2010 when I took over the Test captaincy and think of what I am today and what I’ve achieved, I can look back pretty satisfied with my career. Having the most wins as Pakistan captain in Test cricket and taking the team to number one in the ICC Rankings is something I never thought could happen.”
Lets hope that these two greats perform and retire on high note with dignity and respect. They both will play their final Test Match on May 10 at Dominica.
Edited by Shehzil Zahid.