LONDON: Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq said his unbeaten century against England at Lord’s on Thursday was the “top innings” of an impressive Test career.

Thursday’s match was Misbah’s maiden Test at Lord’s, selection decisions having seen him miss previous tours of England, yet he secured a coveted place on the dressing room honours board at the very first attempt.

As soon as he had completed his 10th Test century, Misbah dro­pped to the turf but rather than offering a prayer, performed several press-ups and then waved at his teammates in a gesture that was widely appreciated by the packed crowd at Lord’s.

But Misbah’s celebration, which included a salute to the Pakistan flag flying above the pavilion, was no tribute act. Rather it was a reference to Pakistan’s gruelling pre-tour boot camp at a military academy in Kakul in May.

“I promised the army guys I would do the push-ups if I got a century,” Misbah told reporters. “We had an honour code on the boot camp, for push-ups, so that was my promise to them the next time I scored a hundred. So that was for them, and the salute was for the flag.”

Thursday’s hundred ranked higher in Misbah’s estimations out of all the innings he has played for his country in a career spanning some 15 years. “I rate this as my top innings in Test cricket and I’m really happy about that,” he said. “It’s a dream to play at Lord’s and especially getting 100, and the name on the honours board is something special.

“Obviously, when you are playing competitive cricket you just don’t think about your age. If you are there, you just take on the challenge that comes with playing the game.

“These records are always something special, and they are very satisfying to make those kinds of achievements, but the main thing is just to keep achieving for your country.”

Published in Dawn, July 16th, 2016