What does the retirement of two of Pakistan’s greatest cricketers, Misbah-ul-Haq and Younis Khan mean?
To put it simply, it means a vacuum. It means that Pakistan cricket must move on without two of its legends. It means the loss of two leaders, two men who led their nation with pride and showed a generation of Twenty20 obsessed fans that grit and toughness had their own place.
Younis and Misbah’s greatness can be easily quantified, in terms of pure numbers. There will be no more great partnerships, no more match-winning knocks, no more calmness in collapses.
But, sport has never been about numbers. Pakistani cricket has never been known for its stability but Misbah-ul-Haq and Younis Khan played in an era when earlier times may well have been considered golden ages. They witnessed terrorist attacks, spot-fixing scandals, losses, defeats and frequent resurrections. And yet, they remained inspirations, firm and stoic, on many occasions, holding on the burden on their own shoulders.
Here, then, are some of the best moments when #MisYou weren’t just great cricketers, they were great inspirations.
The push-ups
An emphatic a statement as they come. Back at the home of cricket, where just six years previously the team had left in a haze of spot-fixing disgrace, was the Pakistan captain. It was a typical Misbah vigil, five hours long, slowly but steadily grinding away. But the celebration was anything but boring. With a single to get his first century at Lord’s, Misbah went down, saluted and did ten push-ups, to send a tribute to the army officers who had trained them. It set up their win...Pakistan would go on to draw the series and remains a moment epitomising Misbah-ul-Haq’s charisma.
A Younis Khan special
Younis Khan loved playing against arch-rivals India. In recent years, off-the-field tensions meant he couldn’t take on them as often as he would. But when he got his chance, he ensured he would write his name into the history books.
Pakistan were touring India in 2005 and they were trailing 1-0 when they arrived in Bangalore to play the last Test. Step forward Younis Khan. With Pakistan losing their openers within the first 18 balls, India sniffed an opportunity. Three hundred and twenty-four runs and 88.2 overs later, they were deflated. Khan and captain Inzamam-ul-Haq had destroyed India’s bowlers. Khan finished with 267, the highest score by a visiting player in India. Pakistan went on to win and draw the series 1-1.
The tuk-tuk goes into overdrive
They lampooned and derided him by calling him “tuk-tuk”. Misbah never responded, but the one time he did, Australia fell the brunt of his fury. They were touring the United Arab Emirates and not much was expected of Pakistan. They won the first Test though. And in the second, Younis Khan, Azhar Ali and Misbhah put them on top in the first innings.
In the second, the pressure was off. Australia were already facing a huge lead and when Misbah came out at the fall of Khan’s wicket, he decided to have some fun. The tuk-tuk screamed into overdrive, Misbah shot into a burst and the the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi saw a supreme display of hitting as the Pakistani captain hammered 11 fours and five sixes to hit a 56-ball century, tied with Viv Richards for the fastest century of all time.
Winning over the world
Trust Younis Khan to sign off in style. He captained and won the World Twenty20 in 2009, exhorting his players to “take it easy and have fun”. He brought joy back to a nation that had just a few months earlier, bore the brunt of terrorists attacking the Sri Lankan team bus. And he retired, but not before making a heartfelt plea:
“I am requesting to all of the countries: ‘You must come to Pakistan’. Everybody knows law and order is not good but it is not our fault. Especially for youngsters, we need home series because everywhere there is no cricket in Pakistan. How can we motivate the youngsters, especially at school level and college level? I think this will be helping us build a new structure in Pakistan for our future.”
Sadly, despite his impassioned plea, nothing has changed.
#MisYou
Together, Misbah-ul-Haq and Younis Khan forged among the best batting partnerships in the history of cricket. They scored 3213 runs while batting together at an average of 68.32. They were friends, mates, building Pakistani cricket brick by brick, stone by stone. “ You have full faith in a guy like that,” said Misbah on his teammate. “I learnt from Misbah that if I wanted to get a performance out of someone, I had to let them do it,” said Younis.
And now it’s over. A generation departs. Go well, Misbah and Younis. We shall #misyou.