England vs Pakistan: All hail Misbah-ul-Haq - the 42-year-old unifying force of the Pakistan team
Brilliant leader has restored pride as he prepares to lead his country in England for the first time
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Your support makes all the difference.Being Pakistan captain is a tough job at the best of times but when you take the armband and immediately have to pick up the pieces of shattered morale in the wake of a spot-fixing scandal involving three key players it is nigh-on impossible.
But Misbah-ul-Haq, who will lead his side against England in the four-Test series that begins at Lord’s on Thursday at the ripe old age of 42, has pulled it off with aplomb. He has proved himself a brilliant leader and has restored the reputation and the performances of the Pakistan team.
Pakistan, despite not being allowed to play in their own country due to terrorist fears, are ranked No 3 in the world. They have no right to be so high - England are fourth – and owe a huge portion of their success to their dogged and determined captain.
Despite his advancing years, Misbah still leads by example, as an average of nearly 49 across 61 Tests would attest. He has nine Test tons and is often the rock around which the innings is built, the steadying force.
But he is also vital off the pitch to this Pakistan team. “He is the kind of a captain who has got all of us on track,” pace bowler Wahab Riaz said this week. “He has united each and every player. He has made the players believe in what kind of skills they have. He has worked hard with everyone.”
It is this dedication to the team, the desire to not only improve his own game but those of others around him, that marks him out as a special character and has helped the team rebuild after the horrors of 2010. That and discipline.
“If you analyse what we did in [the last] six years, it's overall discipline, belief - consistently playing the same team,“ he said at Lord’s on the eve of the first Test. ”We [lost] bowlers - but Yasir Shah [the leg-spinner] came in, and they've been outstanding. With the batting line-up, it's discipline.“
Misbah, who missed the ill-fated 2010 tour of England as he had been dropped from the team due to poor form shortly before (he probably now thanks his lucky stars), is excited by the challenge of leading Pakistan in this country for the first time. ”There are no nerves [yet],“ he said. ”That's something you always wait for. It's a big occasion - everyone wants to play at Lord's, just to perform well here and get the respect of every spectator and supporter. These opportunities give you the chance to prove yourself.“
Misbah has little left to to prove. But that won’t stop him trying.
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