To understand the enigma of Pakistan Cricket one should probably play the game of mind maze. The Topsy-turvy scenarios and helter-skelter way of administering Pakistan are quite a spectacle in itself. The Country has produced some genuine greats out of the wilderness. Pakistan has produced players like Wasim Akram, who was arguably one of the finest bowlers of his time and mesmerized the world with his cricketing acumen and wizardry.
Imran Khan put the name of Pakistan on the world stage in terms of producing quality all-rounders.Pakistan is known for producing oodles of talent that has turned out to be unique or say the least freakish in every manner.
Pakistan Cricket has provided novelty and different taste to world cricket with likes players like Saqlain Mushtaq, who invented the Doosra and Sarfaraz Nawaz who was the pioneer of reverse swing bowling. After all watershed moments in Pakistan cricket came the days of trial and tribulations where only one individual named as Misbah-ul-Haq rose to the occasion.
The man has indeed come a long way from being the sole reason for the resurgence of the team from ashes due to spot-fixing scandal.
The word that can only describe him to a tee is “Himmatwala” which reminded me of a movie Himmatwala where a weak hero tries to overpower the villain to become victorious.
The word suits him because he took everything in his stride when despair and darkness surrounded Pakistan Cricket. In the face of adversity, he took a team of modest players and made them compete in the international arena.
Many times when the situation looked bleak he played an innings that showed glimpses of strong mental acumen and persona to lift the green shirts and give them hope of winning.
He led the team in admirable fashion as he has elusive feat of defeating England and Australia in United Arab Emirates in a Test Series. It is quite an achievement as these teams were ranked no.1 when they reached desert landscape.
He achieved many things such as winning Asia Cup in Bangladesh and being the first subcontinent side to win a bi-lateral one day series in Land of Madiba. He always defied his critics with his consistency and resilience.
He came to be known as a methodical player that is quite an anomaly in Pakistan Cricket. He truly led his country and players in a remarkable fashion. He was a man of few words and always tried his level best with limited resources. He will go as down as a champion cricketer who took the reins of the team when all looked lost
