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November 4, 1987 was perhaps one of the grimmest days in Pakistan cricket history.
The Pakistan team was favourite to beat Australia in the 1987 World Cup semi-final played in Lahore, but the 18-run defeat in that match stunned the whole nation.
On that day, the people of Pakistan felt a twofold grief. Not only did they lose the crunch match, but they also lost arguably their best cricket leader, as Imran Khan announced his retirement.
Immense gloom prevailed not only at the Gaddafi stadium, but also from Khyber to Karachi.
But after only a couple of months, in January 1988, the head of state of the country, General Zia-ul-Haq, changed all that by asking Imran to reconsider his retirement and lead the team, which was about to embark on a tour to West Indies in a few months’ time.
Imran heeded his advice. He badly wanted to beat West Indies on their home turf.
Imran’s team drew one of the toughest series 1-1 there; won the Nehru Cup (six-nation tournament) in India in 1989 and, in a few years’ time, lifted the Waterford crystal trophy (World Cup) at the MCG in 1992.
Keeping this history in mind after 28 years, in 2016 the Chairman of Pakistan Cricket Board – Shahryar Khan – convinced Misbah ul-Haq to continue as the captain of Pakistan Test team.
At the time, in one of his interviews he said: “Though Misbah is independent to decide about his future, the PCB has suggested him to continue till 2018.”
Well, perhaps the Chairman just took a leaf out of former President Zia-ul-Haq’s book. Though the results in the twin tours to New Zealand and Australia in 2016-17 somewhat proved the Chairman wrong, there was still another challenge to be faced in March ‘17, the West Indies tour, once touted as ‘the final frontier’.
Misbah and his team lost the Test series three-nil in Australia. But it happened in the past too.
Pakistan teams under the captaincy of Waseem Akram (1999) and Mohammad Yousuf (2004 and 2010) faced same fate in previous tours to Australia. Inzamam-ul-Haq captained the side in only one Test in 2004 series.
How can one forget Yousuf’s defensive field placing during the 2010 series? The Channel 9 commentators said almost the same things about Yousuf’s ‘defensive’ captaincy as Ian Chappell said about Misbah’s in 2016-17 Australian summer.
Amid all the flak in the media, Misbah remained focused on Pakistan’s Test tour to the Caribbean where history could’ve been made. Pakistan was yet to win a Test series there.
However, in 2011, Misbah’s men did manage to draw the series 1-1.
In the first Test played at Kingston, the visitors secured a thumping win against the home team by seven wickets. In this Test the new bowling sensation in world cricket – Mohammad Abbas made his debut. Windies made a comeback in the second Test at Bridgetown by defeating Pakistan with the margin of 106 runs.
The third and final Test played at Roseau was historic in more ways than one. Not only Pakistan won the first ever Test series (2-1) in West Indies by winning this Test but their two stalwarts – Younis Khan and Misbah-ul-Haq also hung up their boots in this match.
The historic victory proved another feather in Misbah’s cap. A dream seen in 1988 became a reality in 2017.
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