Ground Reality
Better late...
Misbah-ul-Haq

  By Bilal Hussain

At 33, when most other cricketers start thinking about hanging up their shoes, Misbah-ul-Haq is making successful efforts to cement his international career that got a big boost with his exploits in last September's World Twenty20 Championship in South Africa.

Till early last year, he was discarded by Pakistani selectors as a spent force, but is now regarded as one of the most precious cricketers around. He is now the Pakistan vice-captain and has aptly filled the vacuum created in the middle-order following the retirement of the former skipper Inzamam-ul-Haq.

Misbah is not only good in the hit-and-miss format of the game; he has also displayed a flair for Test cricket. "That's how a professional cricketer should be. One must adapt, change one's game according to the conditions. And that's what I try to do. Obviously, the demands of Test cricket are different, you have to be patient and bide your time, and that's what I try to do in Tests," says Misbah.

He adds: "We play a lot of T20 in Pakistan, especially during Ramazan. That experience helps me when I have to go and start hitting early. I have experience in hitting unconventional strokes. One-dayers are also pretty similar. So I don't think it's been difficult for me to adapt to the situation and to the pace of play in different versions of the game."

Misbah started playing club cricket almost 12 years back, but then took time off from the game to complete his studies. "I started playing club cricket in 1995-96, but I was unsure about what to do. I've done MBA, but then I decided I'd be only happy playing the game. Still, I was not sure; in fact, I was a bit afraid if I'd made a mistake. After I made my First-Class debut, things changed. I did not do well in Tests, but I always hoped to make a come back. I'm a full-time cricketer now, and hoping to play some good knocks for Pakistan."

But it took Misbah a lot of time to actually get noticed.

"I've been playing domestic cricket over the last six-seven years. But due to the fact that there are settled players in the middle-order, I wasn't able to get in. But I've been trying hard. I had an idea that age would be a factor for me at the top level cricket. So I have been working very hard on my fitness. That has been an advantage, as I'm very fit and because of that, perhaps, people feel I'm younger than 33 years.

"I work in the gym every day for two to three hours, and follow the schedule prepared by my trainer. Legs one day, and the upper body the next day. And, in two sessions, I do almost everything to keep myself fit."

Misbah has a gift to stay calm even in the most high-pressure situations. "I guess this is part of one's personality, and I think it's natural for me. I've been always like this, a somewhat serious sort of a person. That's how I am, always like this and that's what normal is for me."

Misbah says his temperament has helped him resurrect his international career. "When you come to bat in the middle-order at number five or six, you have to bat according to the situation. You have to apply yourself. So I was determined not to make mistakes. That determination, I think, helped me to be successful here."

The Mianwali-born Misbah is now looking forward to make 2008 an even more successful year for himself and for his team. "I had a good time in 2007 and hopefully this year would be even better."