Misbah and Younis prove old is gold

Dubai: Pakistan skipper Misbah-ul-Haq and Younis Khan proved that old is gold in Dubai, known as the city of gold. Through a sparkling partnership of 93 runs in 29.5 overs for the fourth wicket these ageing but experienced cricketers cracked a century and a half century to place Pakistan in a challenging 282 for 4 on the first day of second Test against England at the Dubai International stadium.

Misbah, aged 41 became the oldest among the present international cricketers to hit an unbeaten century and became the 13th player to hit a ton after reaching the 40s. His tireless unbeaten 102 runs off 192 balls studded with eight boundaries and five sixes personified his fitness as well as determination. In the last over he hit two sixes and reached his ton through a brilliant reverse sweep to display his stupendous confidence.

Thirty-seven-year-old Younis cracked 56 runs off 115 balls with four boundaries. In the last ten Test innings Misbah and Younis had eight fifty plus partnerships and three out of them were century partnerships. Opener Shan Masood too cracked an elegant 54 runs off 87 balls with seven boundaries while Asad Shafiq is unbeaten on 46 off 93 balls.

England’s first Test hero Adil Rashid went wicketless as he was hit for 60 runs in his 13 overs.

It was a good toss for Misbah to win and he followed the usual practice in this ground of opting to bat first. His openers Mohammad Hafeez and Masood gave him a fine start putting on 51 runs in 15.1 overs before off spinner Moeen Ali, who was introduced early on in the eighth over of the day, dismissed Hafeez. Moeen’s delivery took the inside edge of Hafeez’s bat while playing forward and a sprawling Jonny Bairstow took the catch at bat pad position for 19.

Next man, Shoaib Malek, who scored a double century in the first Test in Abu Dhabi, lasted just nine balls. He flicked Stokes to give Bairstow his second catch at short leg.

Younis joined Masood who was by then stroking beautifully. Masood reached his 50 in Pakistan’s score of 77 for 2. In fact, he reached his second Test half century in style by driving Stuart Broad’s pitched-up delivery for a boundary in style. Leg-spinner Adil Rashid, who destroyed Pakistan in the second innings in Abu Dhabi, was introduced late, just two overs before lunch.

Masood fell to the first ball after lunch, edging James Anderson to the wicket-keeper Jos Butler. Though the umpire Paul Reiffel’s verdict was reviewed hoping that in the absence of sincko or hot spot the decision could be reversed but TV umpire Chris Gaffeney upheld it. It was the third consecutive time Masood has become an Anderson victim, this time following an off-cutter to the wicket-keeper. It was Anderson’s 418th Test wicket and he went past India’s Harbhajan Singh’s tally of 417 wickets to climb to ninth position among highest wicket-takers in Test cricket.

It was back to the two veterans of Pakistan cricket as Misbah joined Younis with the scoreboard reading 85 for 3. Younis was the first to reach his 30th Test half century in 90 balls with four boundaries in the 50th over of the day. He also surpassed Graham Gooch’s 8900 runs to move to the 14th position of highest run getters in the world. At tea Pakistan were 178 for 3.

Mark Wood, who bowled brilliantly throughout the day, struck with the last ball of the 58th over by dismissing Younis, who attempted to play the ball down to fine leg but edged to the wicketkeeper. The gentleman cricketer that Younis is, he did not wait for the umpire’s decision following the appeal.

Asad Shafiq played the supporting role to his skipper elegantly and saw Pakistan past the 200 run mark.

Misbah lifted Rashid for two consecutive sixes in the 75th over of the day. The pair recorded their 14th half century partnership out of the 34 times they have been together.