One Last Stride


Hammad Shakil

November 15, 2010; Pakistan v South Africa, 1st Test, Dubai; ESPNcricinfo Day 4 bulletin’s headline read, “Pakistan fight but South Africa on course for victory”, and truly so as Pakistan were left with a potentially unsurmountable task of chasing more than 400 runs and lasting more than 0.1k overs in the 4th innings to deny South Africa an undefeated lead in their very first assignment post spot-fixing saga summer.

Pakistan had every right to morally oust themselves from keeping their heads high and grade themselves as a team of bits and pieces and sit beside the squires rather than keeping an eye on the throne and rating themselves as the ultimate day-savers. After all, only 2 teams had ever out-batted South Africa in the 4th innings by facing more than 100 overs to cling onto a win, while there only had been 8 instances of a team hanging onto a draw. Incidentally, one of those 8 instances included Pakistan, a game which so ironically bears a helluva resemblance to the game aforementioned. Since the turn of the century, only 21 instances had been recorded of a team saving (win/draw) a Test by facing more than 100 overs in the 4th innings of a Test. Yet, Pakistan were as predictable as they were supposed to be; totally unpredictable. A defiant pair of Younis Khan and Azhar Ali was replaced after 19 overs by the comeback duo of veterans Younis Khan and Misbah ul Haq. As teams huddled for the post-match presentation at the end of play, ESPNcricinfo’s headline read, “Younis century secures fighting draw”, and “Younis and Misbah return in style”, don’t they always? Younis Khan ended with a master knock of 131*, while Misbah accumulated 76* of his own playing, or rather blocking, more than half of the overs that would be bowled since his arrival at the middle till the end of play.

This was century number 17 for Younis Khan, a tally he would conveniently double by the start of 2017. It was only fitting Misbah ended up at a score between 75 and 99. Misbah, at the time this article is being written, has 13 scores between 75 and 99, a feat bettered only by Inzamam-ul-Haq (17) and Javed Miandad (15), while they both share 200-plus match experience, Misbah currently has 73. By any accounts, Misbah won’t be proud, and it evidently is clear that he isn’t prone to scoring much centuries, and usually blocks his way to highly resistive and well-fought-against-all-the-odds half centuries.

2356 days would go by and this truly secured and guarded pair would still be driving Pakistan towards a safer island. Till date, no Pakistani pair has scored more runs in partnership than #MisYou (a hashtag so often used currently in the event of the duo’s retirement). No other pair has scored more century partnerships than this put-your-money-on duo for Pakistan, while they top the chart for most unbroken partnerships for Pakistan in Tests too. Their partnership averages 69.67, which is second only to Mohammad Yousaf and Younis Khan’s 78.42 (min cut off: 3000 partnership runs). Their partnership conversion rate of 2.14 is only bettered by 3.33 of Javed Miandad and Mudassar Nazar (min cut off: 10 century partnerships).

Since November 2010, only Pakistan’s more recent giant Azhar Ali has faced more balls than Younis Khan and Misbah ul Haq. In fact, only Alastair Cook has played more balls than Azhar Ali in this period. As predicted, Younis Khan has scored more runs than any other Pak batsman in this span, followed by Azhar Ali and Misbah. It has to be noted that Azhar Ali’s run tally is largely built courtesy his habit of scoring daddy hundreds, while this has dampened Misbah very much, who always/usually seems to be stranded between 75 and 99 – albeit facing a bulk of deliveries, normally saving Pakistan from precarious situations.

If we are to talk about the greatest victories Pakistan have cherished during the #MisYou era, we can arguably say that both of these modern Pakistan greats have had highly instrumental roles to play in those games, and series. Pakistan achieved an entirely Naya Pakistan under Misbah, and his lieutenant Younis Khan, heavily in contrast to the previous versions of Pakistan teams, yet they ground their ways to get to the No. 1 ranked side in the world, a first for Pakistan since the inception of the concept.

When Misbah was offered the Test captaincy in a small clerk room at the Gaddafi Stadium in the aftermath of the spot-fixing season, he had been contemplating retirement from the game, and this offer instilled a brand new zeal for the game he literally plays to live. A similar story for Younis Khan, who hadn’t played a Test in over a year and was brought to life along with Misbah in a much calmer dressing room than the ones their predecessors had.


As Pakistan take the 1-0 lead against West Indies in the ongoing Test series, a place where they are yet to win a Test series, Misbah and Younis Khan will be taking this as one final frontier, one final ride, or more likely one final stride to the 22 yards at the middle. To think they won’t be donning the bright Test costumes in the near future, one must crumble at the thought, of who would replace and shoo-in these giants, and block and sweep Pakistan to safer roads.

Comments