The final day’s play in the first Test yesterday was of an academic nature. Pakistan having already brought the New Zealand batsmen to their knees for the second time in the match had needed only two more wickets to achieve yet another victory on this tour and continue their dream run and domination in Test cricket.

And it took them just over an hour to bowl the Kiwis out but not before the last pair kept them in a stubborn 54-run stand and show up their earlier batsmen that things could be handled with a lot more care if only the frontliners had offered a little more application while facing Pakistan bowlers.

Both Ish Sodhi and Trent Boult looked more at home against Yasir Shah and Zulfiqar Babar as well as against pacers Rahat Ali and Imran Khan than those who perished under the pressure of an unattainable target.

Predictability of the outcome of this Test was never in doubt though, right from the first day when Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq won the toss and made the best use of the pitch to hoist a massive first-innings score; and from then on his troops kept the game well under their clutches with consistent all-round performance.

Brendon McCullum was generous when asked about Pakistan’s thumping 248-run victory and Misbah’s bowlers who kept them in tangles in both the innings.

“Pakistan played better cricket and was a better team, their bowlers did pose a lot of problems for most of us. But we will keep improving no doubt to perform better,” McCullum accepted.

“Misbah undoubtedly must be a pleased man to become the most successful captain of his country,” the New Zealand responded when asked about his counterpart.

He is not the first man to laud the Pakistan captain’s contribution so far in this home series. The Australians who were whitewashed had similar thoughts about him too.

An elated Misbah after winning the Test is unarguably the most successful captain of Pakistan now having won 15 of his 33 Tests as captain. Which takes him past Javed Miandad and Imran Khan’s record victories, both of whom when captaining Pakistan had done us all proud.

Since taking over in 2010 and in critical times as skipper, Misbah remains as one of the three most successful leaders of a national team and that includes Graeme Smith of South Africa and Andrew Strauss of England or for that matter Alastair Cook or Michael Clarke.

His patience, his tolerance, his level-headedness and his muted response even when severely criticised for his approach to the game as captain and player now needs to be looked at in a much more positive perspective than ever before.

It is important that we appreciate and applaud Misbah and his men for what they have achieved so far on this tour. For them playing home series away from home is not really a piece of cake but a hard grind when you think that so far, for them in the last five years their existence in international cricket has been no less than nomadic.

Pakistan richly deserve what they have obtained and it is important therefore for all to back them up for the effort that they have so far put in and the discipline which they have maintained in their play and outside it under an ever composed Misbah.

Published in Dawn, November 14th, 2014