The famous Rahul Dravid was nicknamed “The Wall”; Pakistan has now found its own “Wall” in Younis Khan. But these are just the tangible factors that Pakistan has noticed, and possibly been proud of. The intangible assets, such as the camaraderie, sportsmanship, team effort and discipline that one saw on the field were also remarkable.
Of late Pakistan has been in the news for all the wrong reasons; with the troika of Muhammad Aamir, Muhammad Asif and Salman Butt being accused of spot-fixing to Zulqarnain Haider’s much talked about desertion of the team, the Pakistan cricket team wasn’t in what one would normally call a happy place. But in the captaincy of Misbah-ul-Haq, they have found solace and rekindled the spirit that makes Pakistan such an endearing team despite its despicable image that is currently being portrayed in the international media.
Against a fine-tuned opposition such as South Africa, it was never easy to hold fort but Pakistan did it and did it in style. Therefore, both the team and team management of Pakistan deserve a pat on the back for bringing back the spark that seemed to have been snuffed out from their performances. For Pakistan, it was particularly difficult firstly because of the non-responsive pitches and secondly because of their weak bowling attack. However, as the audiences around the world later found out, this weak bowling attack was nothing short of breathtaking as Tanvir Ahmed was a complete revelation, and Umar Gul was simply incredible.
Responsibility brings out the best in some and it was heart warming to see Misbah-ul-Haq end the series with exemplary perfection as captain of a team which hasn’t been known much by way of their captains. Misbah will relish the three successive scores of over fifty that he got, and on two occasions where he used them to stall the South Africans in their tracks. Azhar Ali has been the other startling attention grabber on this tour as he has shown more grit, character, fortitude and patience than many other veteran Pakistani batsmen. He too made three half centuries and batted like a seasoned campaigner. If he is not messed around with, like so many talented Pakistani batsmen before him, he could go onto become one of the finest batsman Pakistan has ever produced.
Fear of failure and the taste of success come side by side. While fear is what motivates one to propel oneself towards success, the Pakistan cricket team tasted both in this drawn Test series and that is perhaps why they were so magnificent in their performance. What Pakistan needs now is a proper, balanced and well attuned approach to the game. They also need to have a plan to maintain a back up of the kind of discipline and character that they have shown in this recently concluded Test series. Despite being under the microscope for all the wrong reasons, the Pakistan team and players will now have to ensure that they wipe their slates clean with such astounding performances, and do not get into trouble again.
