With Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq and veteran batsman Younis Khan set to bid adieu to international cricket at the end of the third Test against West Indies, their current teammates shared their cherished memories with the dynamic duo, what they have learned from the pair, and the implications of their exit for Pakistan cricket.”When Misbah took over as captain, it was a low point in Pakistan cricket. At that time, we were fighting to regain our very dignity and Misbah kept impressing upon us that we had to earn back the faith of our supporters. In the next seven years, we saw tough times but his leadership helped us through them. The one thing that was very important to him was that, whatever the outcome, we must give our absolute best. I personally took that advice to heart and it simply wouldn’t have been possible to achieve what we did without Misbah.”His own demeanour is an example in itself. He is mentally calm and has nerves of steel. It is hard to explain in words how important he was in soothing the nerves of everyone when we were under pressure.”Younis might appear different, but his work ethic is just exemplary. When I was starting off in cricket, I saw how he set about working on his game, how he trained, how he maintained his fitness and what he did in the nets and I thought, ‘This person is worth following.’ Watching him play when you’re at the other end, you learn so much, but at the same time, he doesn’t bombard you with advice, letting you play your game instead. Only if he feels you’ve made a big mistake or you’re struggling badly will he come up and talk to you. And obviously his achievements speak for themselves. That’s what has earned him global respect.
“For us, it’s hard to register that they won’t be in the dressing room after this series; we can’t imagine life without them. We were just so surprised at them retiring because they’re still so fit, perhaps the fittest players in our squad. We are very emotional too, just the thought that the dressing room will be without them feels strange, and will do so for a while.”
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