Test captain Misbah-ul-Haq said in his blog for cricket.com.au that he was offered captaincy in a clerk’s office at the Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) headquarters in Lahore.
In the aftermath of the infamous 2010 spot-fixing scandal that saw one of the country’s three “finest” cricketers banned from the game, the then PCB chairman Ijaz Butt arranged a secret meeting with the 42-year-old to offer him the captaincy role since “he didn’t have many options”.
“The chairman wanted to keep the meeting confidential and as it has been reported in the media recently it was arranged in a clerk’s room where I was offered the captaincy. I kept it a secret too and, owing to the state of affairs at that time, did not share it even with my family,” Misbah wrote.
At the time, Pakistan were ranked number six in Tests, but in six years time they topped the table for which the current Test captain is credited by experts and fans alike.
“I knew handling the team in these circumstances would be a massive challenge but the thought in my mind was that if the Almighty had given me the opportunity to lead the team, He would assist me to make it a better unit, too.”
Misbah reminisces his deputy Azhar Ali dancing down the wicket and smoking Moeen Ali into the stands, completing Pakistan’s 10-wicket win over England at The Oval and in the process leveling the four-match Test series.
“I am glad that we fought well and made it a big occasion for the people of our country. The possibility of becoming the number one team for the first time also added to our energy.