Misbah-ul-Haq has revealed the reason for his unique celebration after reaching his century in the first Test at Lord’s. After reaching the three-digit mark, the Pakistan skipper removed his helmet and gloves and saluted the Pakistan balcony before getting down on his knees in order to execute a series of press-ups.
Misbah, who scored his first ton in England, explained it as a reference to the army boot camp in Abbottabad undergone by the Pakistan team before arriving in England. Misbah, who became the oldest captain to score a Test century, rated his innings as the best of his Test career.
He said: “(The push-ups were) my promise to the army guys when we did the camp before the tour. We used to do 10 push-ups every time we stepped into the ground and I promised them I would do that if I got a century. And the salute was to the Pakistan flag.
“It is a dream to play at Lord’s, especially scoring a hundred and getting my name on the honours board. I rate this innings as my top in Test cricket and I am really happy about that. When you are playing cricket you don’t think of your age. These records always are something special.”
Coming into bat when Pakistan’s innings were in a spot of bother after being reduced to 77 for 3, Misbah scored an unbeaten 110 to take Pakistan to a respectable score by the end of first day’s play. Pakistan finished the day on 282 for the loss of 6 wickets. Apart from Misbah, Asad Shafiq too played a vital knock of 73 runs off 130 balls, studded with 12 boundaries. The duo of Misbah and Shafiq added 148 runs.
Misbah heaped praise on Shafiq for his calm and composed innings. Shafiq has been a consistent performer for Pakistan in last few years. Shafiq, who has scored 8 centuries in 42 Tests, has been involved in Pakistan’s last 16 century partnerships.
Misbah said: “He has been a star for us over the last four or five years. He’s missed a few hundreds and should have got one here but he is a top player at No6, scoring consistently. He’s a special player and I think in the future Pakistan will be looking to him.”