THE nail-biting third Test win against the West Indies on Sunday, that gave Pakistan a historic series victory over the hosts, was a befitting tribute to the two departing stalwarts of the game — Misbah-ul-Haq and Younis Khan. Pakistan, stretched to the penultimate over owing to an unexpected rearguard effort from the home side led by Roston Chase, eventually held their nerve to achieve a sensational win that epitomised the way both Misbah and Younis played cricket during their illustrious careers. Never ones to indulge in needless bravado, the two greats invariably preferred to adopt an intelligent approach to the game. They may have been understated but never underestimated by the opposition; their placid demeanour concealed an aggression that made both tough adversaries. There is only so much that pure passion can sustain. In modern sport, the edifice has to be built on with diligence, a strong vision and integrity — qualities Younis and Misbah had in abundance and that let them to excel and emerge as role models.

The 2-1 victory, which came after a long wait of nearly 60 years since the two teams have been playing international cricket with each other, saw leg-spinner Yasir Shah rediscovering his Midas touch after a prolonged bad patch. His 25 wickets in the three Tests were clearly the difference between the two sides. Besides, Pakistan can also take heart from the way young pacers Mohammad Abbas and Hassan Ali bowled. They will surely give underperforming seniors such as Mohammad Amir and Wahab Riaz much to ponder. Batting woes, however, continued for the visiting side. None of the top-order batsmen, including Ahmed Shehzad, Azhar Ali, Baber Azam and Asad Shafique, was able to hold their own against a bowling attack which, barring Shannon Gabriel’s performance, lacked teeth. The retirement of Misbah, a tenacious, calm skipper, has thrown open a debate about his successor, whereas Younis has left a void in batting that is unlikely to be filled for some years. This is a challenge for PCB because there are no immediate replacements in sight.

Published in Dawn, May 16th, 2017