When Misbah-ul-Haq was appointed Test captain in the midst of Pakistan cricket’s darkest days, only the most ardent supporters could have imagined the dramatic transformation that culminated this week in a decisive series sweep of No.1-ranked England.
Led by Misbah, Pakistan put the controversy of their spot-fixing scandal behind them, along with the suspension and eventual jailing of three players.
The only way Pakistan could have restored their reputation was by performing on the field, and that’s exactly what they’ve done, with Misbah leading his side to nine Test wins, one draw and just one loss.
“Only time can tell what you can achieve or what you can do,” Misbah said after Pakistan’s 71-run win on Monday sealed a historic 3-0 whitewash.
“We just want to do well everywhere and that’s what this team is doing at the moment.”
Pakistan haven’t played at home since early 2009 when the Sri Lanka team bus was attacked by gunmen in Lahore.
Though Pakistan are yet to be fully tested in South Africa (2013) and Australia (2016), Misbah said his team are eager to play on those bouncy wickets to prove a point that they’re more than just specialists in slow, turning conditions.
“We have this challenge in our minds and everybody is just focusing to prove themselves outside Pakistan,” he said.
Misbah’s self-belief and temperament has instilled a winning habit in his team and the ability to prove Pakistan have transcended their off-field controversies.
He made his Test debut in 2001, but played only 10 matches until 2007 due to inconsistent performances. However he then won a central contract from the Pakistan Cricket Board after scoring a pile of runs in domestic first-class cricket.
Since then, he hasn’t looked back.
Misbah nearly won Pakistan the Twenty20 World Cup in 2007 and also scored two big centuries on the tour of India before receiving the captaincy in 2010.
The moment England landed last month in the United Arab Emirates, Misbah and England counterpart Andrew Strauss urged the world to forget about the past and focus on Pakistan’s on-field performance.
Together with another former captain, Younis Khan, Misbah promoted two youngsters in Asad Shafiq and Azhar Ali.
Ali’s 157 on Monday in only his 21st Test showed up the folly of England’s lauded batsmen, while Shafiq’s 45 made up almost half of his team’s first innings total.
The young pair also denied England victory in the second Test by sharing an 88-run stand in Pakistan’s 72-run win.
“I think this is how the stars are made,” Misbah said of the pair, adding the team was “a good blend of seniors and juniors”.
The spin duo of Ajmal and Abdur Rehman combined to take 43 of a potential 60 wickets against England who seemed incapable of playing them.
Ajmal, last year’s top Test wicket-taker with 50 dismissals, has added 24 Englishmen from this series.
