It was practically the last ball of the series. With centurion Roston Chase at the other end, after having virtually consumed an entire day’s play, Mohammed Amir’s final six deliveries would have, in all probability, been dealt with as well.
Touching 3 am in the morning (PST) all eyes were on Yasir Shah who had already taken 24 wickets in the series. Number 11, Shannon Gabriel had to negotiate one more ball and West Indies would have completed a draw so improbable that they would have considered it a win.
Before the final ball, Gabriel had already been given out in the same over, only to be overturned by the DRS. It wasn’t the only time that a review threatened to take the win away from Pakistan. A few overs before that Gabriel had been given not out, but Pakistan chose to review, with Azhar Ali especially confident that they’d got the man. With no snickometer, the third umpire did not have enough evidence to overturn the on-field decision.
15 overs ago, in what seemed like a lifetime away, Chase had been caught off a no-ball as Muhammad Abbas overstepped. It’s safe to say that had Abbas’ foot been a couple of millimeters back, the match would’ve been wrapped up long ago. Pakistan were about to be denied history, by a millimeter.
Before Yasir stepped up to bowl his final couple of deliveries, Younis Khan, standing in the first slip, gestured to pitch the ball outside off. In what was the last throw of the dice, that’s what Yasir did.
What was going through Gabriel’s head when he decided to go for a slog, in what will probably be the least opportune moment that he will have in his entire career: only he would know. But when his inside edge took the ball to the stumps, there was absolute jubilation. Yasir took off on his trademark celebrations, joined by the entire team – and millions in Pakistan who were sliding on the rather heavy Roseau outfield along with the 11 that took their country to an historic triumph.
Pakistan had never won a Test series in the West Indies. That’s one reason why everyone, including those who stayed up at night to watch the thrilling finale, seemed to want this win more than any other in recent memory. But what arguably topped the desire to finally beat the West Indies in the Caribbean was the collective will of the nation to give Misbah-ul-Haq and Younis Khan the farewell that they deserved.
To go through the records that Younis and Misbah are retiring with – there’s a comprehensive Twitter thread for the latter created by @omairraslam – would require another piece altogether; even though a library might not suffice in underscoring the importance of what these two have done for Pakistan. But going through the reaction of the team to the win, and the emotions that they were going through in the tense finale, might give you some idea as to what they meant to their fellow cricketers. The reaction from around the globe would also highlight how Misbah and Younis were regarded by the world of cricket. The universal tributes for them, and the scenes at Roseau were a rarity for Pakistani cricketers – a fitting novelty for two men who helped save Pakistan cricket from oblivion.
Despite Chief Selector Inzamam-ul-Haq downplaying the void, saying that a similar gap was created when Waqar Younis and Wasim Akram retired, and hence Misbah and Younis would be replaced as well, it’s hard to recall any other departure leaving as big a hole as these two. For bigger cricketers might have played for Pakistan, but it’s hard to recall two bigger personalities in terms of their overall contribution to the team, in what was the worst time in its history.
The on-field impact of a Pakistan Test side without Misbah and Younis would be similar to what Sri Lanka have gone through after Kumara Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene retired. The off-field impact is going to be absolutely unprecedented and immeasurable.
Touching 3 am in the morning (PST) all eyes were on Yasir Shah who had already taken 24 wickets in the series. Number 11, Shannon Gabriel had to negotiate one more ball and West Indies would have completed a draw so improbable that they would have considered it a win.
Before the final ball, Gabriel had already been given out in the same over, only to be overturned by the DRS. It wasn’t the only time that a review threatened to take the win away from Pakistan. A few overs before that Gabriel had been given not out, but Pakistan chose to review, with Azhar Ali especially confident that they’d got the man. With no snickometer, the third umpire did not have enough evidence to overturn the on-field decision.
The team's reaction to the win, and the emotions that they were going through, give you some idea as to what Misbah and Younis meant to them
15 overs ago, in what seemed like a lifetime away, Chase had been caught off a no-ball as Muhammad Abbas overstepped. It’s safe to say that had Abbas’ foot been a couple of millimeters back, the match would’ve been wrapped up long ago. Pakistan were about to be denied history, by a millimeter.
Before Yasir stepped up to bowl his final couple of deliveries, Younis Khan, standing in the first slip, gestured to pitch the ball outside off. In what was the last throw of the dice, that’s what Yasir did.
What was going through Gabriel’s head when he decided to go for a slog, in what will probably be the least opportune moment that he will have in his entire career: only he would know. But when his inside edge took the ball to the stumps, there was absolute jubilation. Yasir took off on his trademark celebrations, joined by the entire team – and millions in Pakistan who were sliding on the rather heavy Roseau outfield along with the 11 that took their country to an historic triumph.
Pakistan had never won a Test series in the West Indies. That’s one reason why everyone, including those who stayed up at night to watch the thrilling finale, seemed to want this win more than any other in recent memory. But what arguably topped the desire to finally beat the West Indies in the Caribbean was the collective will of the nation to give Misbah-ul-Haq and Younis Khan the farewell that they deserved.
To go through the records that Younis and Misbah are retiring with – there’s a comprehensive Twitter thread for the latter created by @omairraslam – would require another piece altogether; even though a library might not suffice in underscoring the importance of what these two have done for Pakistan. But going through the reaction of the team to the win, and the emotions that they were going through in the tense finale, might give you some idea as to what they meant to their fellow cricketers. The reaction from around the globe would also highlight how Misbah and Younis were regarded by the world of cricket. The universal tributes for them, and the scenes at Roseau were a rarity for Pakistani cricketers – a fitting novelty for two men who helped save Pakistan cricket from oblivion.
Despite Chief Selector Inzamam-ul-Haq downplaying the void, saying that a similar gap was created when Waqar Younis and Wasim Akram retired, and hence Misbah and Younis would be replaced as well, it’s hard to recall any other departure leaving as big a hole as these two. For bigger cricketers might have played for Pakistan, but it’s hard to recall two bigger personalities in terms of their overall contribution to the team, in what was the worst time in its history.
The on-field impact of a Pakistan Test side without Misbah and Younis would be similar to what Sri Lanka have gone through after Kumara Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene retired. The off-field impact is going to be absolutely unprecedented and immeasurable.