The tragic death of Phil Hughes was the worst thing, indeed, to have happened to cricket in a long, long time. It was a stark reminder to everyone smitten by its glorious uncertainties that there is a flip side to this gentleman’s game which can be very unpleasant and disconcerting.

The tragedy instantly plunged the world of cricket into mourning like never before. A full day’s play was suspended at the Sharjah Test, a tour match was called off at Adelaide, the entire Blind Cricket World Cup stuttered to a halt while a number of domestic games across the cricketing world were postponed in remembrance of a prolific, young, exuberant cricketer who promised to give so much to his native country and the world of cricket in his own inimitable style.

Condolences poured in from all over as Michael Clarke and his men — numb and devastated by the shock — paid emotional tributes to their former colleague as they tried to console the bereaved family, though much in vain.

But life must go on, as they say, and it certainly did as the players and the teams around the world picked up the pieces to resume what they do best and what is, indeed, their bread and butter.

The New Zealand cricket team, despite the calamity, despite their close proximity to Australian cricket and the Trans-Tasman relations, regrouped brilliantly to outplay Pakistan on a dusty Sharjah track inside four days to level the three-match series.

And yet, it was the Pakistan skipper who came up with an astounding post-match comment when he said, “Whatever happened on the second day (Hughes’ death), it was really difficult to concentrate on the game for our team. I was struggling to concentrate, it was really difficult to bat on and carry on.”

Oh come on Misbah, get real. The excuse would have been perfectly plausible had the Kiwis come up with it after the defeat. Not Pakistan. The New Zealanders, in fact, batted the best in the entire series on the day after Hughes’ death to pile up a record score of 690 which saw them home by an innings and 80 runs.

Why, my dear Misbah, couldn’t you be honest enough to hand it to New Zealand, and how well they bounced back to turn the tables on your team? It would have only been befitting of the moment, and more significantly, in keeping with your image of being a sensible individual who believes in working hard rather than leaving everything to The Almighty, like some of your predecessors.

I am sorry skipper, but your awkward comments were disappointing, to say the least, and rendered the whole situation as quite funny which it was never meant to be.

I must also point out here that I do not for a moment discount the propensity to feel strongly for an affable, talented fellow player who succumbed to death on field of play. It must have been quite disturbing, indeed. I myself have deeply felt the hurt of Hughes’ untimely death, though I have honestly not followed his career as keenly as I should have.

But all said and done, the painful truth Mr skipper, that you were so ill at ease to admit at the series end is that Brendon McCullum’s men almost completely sorted out the Pakistan batting and bowling after the first Test to emerge as the better team. They clearly worked on our psyche to know how Pakistan would be in a whiff of complacency by this time after bamboozling the Aussies and outplaying the Kiwis themselves quite comprehensively in the first Test at Dubai.

I would have expected the battle-hardened, wise man in you Misbah to preempt the New Zealand counter-attack after their valiant fightback at Abu Dhabi in the second Test. Alas, it was not to be.

The Kiwis took the field in Sharjah in a do-or-die frame of mind which was for everyone to see. They came out a determined lot with the sole aim to level the series which they did by playing better cricket in the match.

May Hughes rest in peace.

Published in Dawn December 2nd , 2014